TS 1631 
■ T55 
Copy i 



\ JLAJfeJLfc. 



\Aj-iriJbd\ 



THE TEXTILE WORLD RECORD 
KINK BOOKS 



Kinks on Wool 
Carding and Spinning 



Second Edition 

Compiled from the 

Questions and Answers Department 

of the 

TEXTILE WORLD RECORD 



COMPILED AND EDITED BY 
CLARENCE HUTTON 



LORD & NAGLE CO. 

PUBLISHERS 

Boston, Mass.. U. S. A. 



r \^ 



Copyright, 1912 

LORD & NAGLE COMPANY 

Boston, Mass. 



n-i^f 



ff.jr 

<§CI.A332080 

too/ 



PREFACE 



The success which attended the publication 
of Kinks for Wool Carders and Spinners, a 
large edition having been exhausted, has led 
us to compile this book of practical experi- 
ences in Woolen Yarn Manufacturing-. 

The editors of the Textile World Record 
are at all times face to face with the problem 
of securing - practical information. For years 
its subscribers have been invited to make free 
use of its columns in asking questions relating 
to woolen manufacturing, and it occurred to 
us that if some of the most important and 
most interesting of the practical questions that 
have been answered were gathered together in 
a handy form for quick reference, it would 
meet a wide-spread want. 

This book contains information which has 
been supplied by manufacturers, superintend- 
ents, and overseers from their private record 
books and their stores of knowledge gained by 
experience. 

Many questions are answered and much 
information given, but subscribers should 
remember that if there is any information 
they desire which is not given in this volume, 



8 PREFACE 

it is their privilege to ask the Questions and 
Answers Department of the Textile World 
Record, and every effort will be made to pub- 
lish the information for them provided the 
question is one of general interest to the trade. 

No effort has been made to arrange the 
subjects in the order of precedence in manu- 
facturing, but the book is fully indexed, which 
should enable anyone to find the information 
he seeks in the shortest possible time. 

Grateful acknowledgment is due to the men 
who have supplied the information, and if 
Kinks on Wool Carding and Spinning should 
benefit any of the large number of men for 
whom it is intended, both they and the pub- 
lishers will feel that its mission has been 
accomplished. 

TEXTILE WORLD RECORD, 

Lord & Nagle Company, 

Publishers. 



Kinks on Wool Carding 
and Spinning 

Trouble in Carding Shoddy 

In a shoddy mill using 60-inch cylinders, Z 
in a set, running 100 revolutions, we have 
much trouble with uncarded threads and short 
staple. What is the best size of wire for the 
cylinders, doffers and workers for this class of 
work? Is a slow, thick feed better carding 
than a fast, thin feed, where the production 
remains the same? Carder (1160). 

Shoddy should be laid down in the picker 
room and properly oiled for at least twelve 
hours and if possible twenty-four hours. It 
would pick and card better as the rags are 
then soft and pliable. The teeth in the picker 
should be sharp. The number of teeth de- 
pends on the grade of stock and the staple 
wanted. It is important to set the feed rolls 
properly to the cylinder and wrap them witht 
a damp strip of cloth as tight as possible to 
fill up the distance from the center of the feed 
roll to the teeth of the cylinder. If the feed 
roll is properly set good results should be ob- 
tained. One hundred revolutions on 60-inch 
cylinders is too fast. It does not give time to. 



IO KINKS ON WOOL 

card properly and only shortens the staple 
and makes a lot of waste. I would advise run- 
ning 80 revolutions; even 75 would not be too 
slow, and the card clothing- will last longer. I 
would prefer a medium heavy feed running 
the feed rolls slow, rather than a thin feed 
and running them fast. I would advise 3 2 
wire on the first cylinder, 3 3 on the second and 
34 on the last. Set the first with a 30 gauge, 
second with a 32 gauge, and third with a 34 
gauge. If the cards are in good condition and 
properly set there is no reason why good re- 
sults should not be obtained. All this can be 
spoiled by trying to do too much in a given 
time. It is better to do less and have the work 
right than to get off a large production and 
have it spoiled. Rogers. 



Matching Mixtures 

How can I determine the proportions of 
each color in the enclosed samples of black 
and white mixed cloth? Mixture (440). 

The best way to match textile mixtures of 
different colors is to make a small sample, 
weighing the stock on a grain scale, and card- 
ing and mixing the different colors on a hand 
card. One hundred grains is a convenient 
weight, as each grain is equivalent to 1 per 
cent. After it has been carded the stock is 
washed in neutral soap, dried and compared 



CARDING AND SPINNING II 

with the sample to be matched. Repeated 
tests are made until the right proportions are 
obtained. If facilities are at hand, it is a good 
plan to verify the hand-card sample by mak- 
ing - a larger one of, say two pounds, carding it 
on the breaker card. A small card for this 
purpose is built and it is a very useful ma- 
chine in a mill making mixed goods. 



Twisted Rolls in Carding 

I send you with this letter samples of 
twisted rolls or nubs which form on our cards 
in carding English wool graded as 4 6s. These 
rolls form between the fancy and the doffer. 
I can lie on the floor and see them drop under 
the card after having been drawn down by the 
cylinder. I changed the speed of the tumbler 
thinking that it held the stock too long, but 
there was no improvement. The card is 4 8 by 
48 with 3 4 wire on the cylinders. The fancy 
is 9 inches in diameter clothed with 2 8 wire, 
open set. I have tried setting the workers 
close and away off, but without helping mat- 
ters any. The difficulty is encountered only 
with this 4 6s grade of wool. It occurred to me 
that the rolls might be caused by the wool 
heing gummy. I would like very much to have 
you tell me what will remedy the trouble. 

Carder (1163). 

These rolls are made by the fancy which has 
too coarse a wire for the cylinder. The fancy 
wire should be at the most only two numbers 
coarser than the cylinder wire. In most cases 
the same wire is used. The stock like sample 



12 KINKS ON WOOL 

requires but little work from the fancy, it lies^ 
on the points of the cylinder wire, and in this 
position it is in the right place to be rolled by 
the fancy. A 28 wire fancy running on a 34 
wire cylinder would be about right for rolling 
the stock. Sometimes a coarse fancy will 
throw bits of stock on the doffer where the 
draft of the fancy will keep it rolling until it 
goes back in the card or drops on the floor. A 
fancy stripper can be used to good advantage 
on some kinds of stock to prevent rolling. 

Lytton. 



It would be very easy to locate the trouble 
ii I had an opportunity of examining the work 
on the card, but it is difficult to point out the 
remedy at a distance and with only such par- 
ticulars as "Carder" gives. The stock is long 
and hard to raise and card out. There is a 
natural tendency for it to roll. To do good 
work the card must be in Al condition, with 
all belts tight, especially the lickerin and 
fancy belts. The cards should be set fairly 
close, especially the doffer and fancy. The 
speed of the fancy must be just right to raise 
and clear the cylinder, otherwise it will load 
and cause rolls. It might be a good plan to 
reverse the workers. This will card the stock 
out better, but it will be harder on the staple 
and on the wire. I think most of the trouble 



CARDING AND SPINNING 1 3 

is due to the setting and speed of the fancy. 
The fancy belt should be tight and the cloth- 
ing kept sharp. More work is spoiled on the 
card by the fancy than at any other point. 

Rogers. 



Equipment and Operation of Carbonizing 
Plant 

We have been in the habit of using wool 
more or less burry as we have no means of 
getting rid of the burrs before sending the 
stock to the cards, the wool being put to the 
cards with the burrs in and the result is that 
the card clothing is in bad shape. I have been 
considering introducing a burr picker, but am 
in doubt whether it would do the work as well 
as carbonizing. For that reason I would like 
to see some good articles on carbonizing, giv- 
ing full instructions as to how it could and 
should be done and the probable cost and 
equipment for a carbonizing plant, that would 
handle about 500 pounds of wool a day. 

Buxton (1244). 

Carbonizing is by far the most satisfactory 
method of removing burrs from wool, unless 
the burrs are very large or are what is known 
as "hard" burrs. These may be all knocked 
out of the wool by burr picking which will 
leave the stock in better condition than by the 
carbonizing process, as the latter has a tend- 
•encv to weaken the wool. To carbonize the 



14 KINKS ON WOOL 

wool for hard burrs the vat should be filled 
with cold water and enough sulphuric acid 
added to bring the bath up to about Q° Tw. 

After the bath is brought up to the required 
strength the scoured wool is entered and al- 
lowed to soak for about three hours and then 
forked out, drained and thoroughly extracted. 
The wool may be put into the acid bath either 
wet or dry, but in putting in the dry stock 
more liquor is absorbed and consequently when 
it. is taken out more water has to be added, 
which weakens the bath, and, of course, more 
acid is required to bring it back to its former 
strength. This is an essential point as the 
bath should not be allowed to run down if the 
stock is to be carbonized thoroughly. 

The next step in carbonizing is the drying 
and baking process, which can be done either 
on the old fashioned table dryers or in the 
Stone dryer manufactured by the James 
Hunter Machine Co., or the Sargent carboniz- 
ing plant. If the table dryer is used a set of 
heavy crush rollers and a cone duster would 
have to be installed in order to crush the 
burrs and free the wool from the dust and 
pieces of burrs which cling to the stock. 

If the table or drawer dryer, Fig. 1, is used r 
the stock must be spread out evenly and not 
too thick on these drawers, and the fan 
should be started, the sliding door in the air 



CARDING AND SPINNING 



15 



Partition 




It 



Outside. O* Building 



l6 KINKS ON WOOL 

shaft closed, and the sliding door in the out- 
side of the building opened. In this way the 
stock should be dried considerably as the cold, 
damp air is driven outside. The fan should 
be left running about two hours, the steam 
then turned on, the outside sliding door closed 
and the sliding door in the air shaft opened. 
There should be enough piping in the coil so 
that the drying room can be heated to a tem- 
perature of at least 220° F. The fan if kept 
running all this time will give a good circula- 
tion. The wool should be turned over once in 
a while so that it will dry thoroughly, and 
should not be taken off the dryer until the 
burrs are well baked, when they will turn 
black and can be crumbled up between thumb 
and finger. The stock should then be passed 
through heavy crush rollers and a cone duster, 
and then neutralized. In neutralizing the 
stock enough alkali and soap should be used 
to remove the acid, or to have the stock smell 
sweet. If too much alkali is used it turns the 
stock yellow and makes it harsh. In building 
the table or drawer dryer as many drawers 
can be put in as are required. One dry room 
with about 5 drawers, 3 by 3 feet square, 
makes a pretty fair room to heat, and, of 
course, the fan should be in proportion to the 
size of the room built. Tambura. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 1 7 

Calculating Weight of Sliver 

The first breaker of a set of woolen cards is 
fitted wih a Bramwell feed, the second breaker 
with a Torrance creel, and the third breaker 
or finisher card with an Apperly feed or a 
creel. What is the method of calculating the 
weight of ends or sliver that should enter 
these feeds in order to give a 6-run roving? 

Milton (867). 

No set rule can be given for calculating the 
size of the drawing for a given size of roving. 
The carder must use his own judgment, taking 
care not to have it too heavy or there will be 
difficulty in passing it through the guides on 
the second breaker. If the drawing is too 
heavy on the feed table of the Apperly feed 
the roving is apt to be lumpy; the finer the 
drawing and the more of it on the feed table 
the better the roving. With a creel on the 
second breaker and an Apperly feed on the 
finisher the size of the roving is regulated by 
an adjustment of the gears. Sam Driver. 



Carding Cotton Mixes 

I am having trouble carding cotton mixes. 
The cotton is fairly well matted; the picker 
does not do very good work and neppy yarn is 
the result. We have an old wooden frame 
card, and lately when we moved from one 
floor to another the card was so racked and 
worn that we could not set it close enough to 
take out the neps. What would be the best 
method of setting, and to what size gauge? It 
is set to 29 now. Where is the setting most 



15 KINKS ON WOOL 

liable to help, and will the fancy help or cause 
the neps? We are now making 1 1/2-run 
yarn; about 1 1/2 draft on the spinning ma- 
chine or about 4 8 inches of roving. The stock 
contains from 20 to 50 per cent, cotton. The 
ring doffers make about 14 turns a minute. 

Clinton (774). 

If the card is in such shape as Clinton says 
it is, the best thing to do is to open the win- 
dow and throw it out. If the mixing picker is 
not doing good work, have the machine fixed 
so that it will. The mixing picker has nothing 
to do with making neps. Run the cotton and 
the stock that is mixed with it separately 
through the picker before mixing. I never set 
a card closer than 29-gauge on any kind of 
stock. If Clinton can set the stock with a 
29-gauge without having it strike, the card is 
all right and the fault must be somewhere 
else, probably in the fancy. Set the fancy so 
you can just hear it on each side; then set 
both sides firmly into the cylinder. See that 
the stripper belt is tight; run the first breaker 
doffer faster so as to get the stock out of the 
card quicker. Speed the ring doffers up to 18 
or 20 turns and the condenser accordingly. 
The roving is apparently about right. 

Sam Driver. 



Even and Uneven Roving 1 

I am boss spinner in a woolen mill. About 
two weeks ago the weavers complained about 



CARDING AND SPINNING 19 

lumps in the filling which broke in the eye of 
the shuttle. The mules are set just the same 
as they always were. Can you tell me where 
the trouble is? Grant (994). 

Since carding and spinning go hand in hand 
in woolen manufacturing, it is first necessary 
to refer briefly to carding. As a rule the 
carder calculates his roving to be drawn down 
to about one-half, on the mule, in order to 
assist in drawing out and reducing any lumps 
or other irregularities in the roving in the final 
yarn produced. There will be no trouble in 
drawing out a good even roving made from 
long, even-stapled wools, this one-half or more 
in spinning; however, the best spinner will 
find it impossible to draw out uneven roving 
or such as made from short staple stock more 
than one-third, without keeping the mule 
standing most of the time piecing up broken 
ends. 

With reference to uneven roving delivered 
to the spinning room, the lumpy sorts will be 
the ones making the most trouble, in fact if 
not impossible for a fine thread to be spun out 
of it, since it is a well-known law in spinning 
that the lumps will take the twist only after 
the thin places between the lumps are twisted 
extra hard. This naturally tends to increase 
in proportion the size of the lumps, and in 
turn reduce the thinner places still more. 
In order to explain this subject, the accom- 



20 



KINKS ON WOOL 



panying two illustrations are given. Fig. 1 
represents an uneven, lumpy, unspun roving or 
carded wool. Examining the illustration, we 
will And that instead of having an even sur- 
face, the roving is lumpy, caused either pos- 
sibly on account of dull card wires, or insuffi- 
cient carding, or improperly prepared stock, 
etc. Such roving may now and then occur in 
any mill, but it should be seldom the case, and 
if found, the trouble at once remedied by 
proper attention to the set of cards where it 
was made. 




In drawing out this roving on the mule, the 
same receives a few turns per inch as the car- 
riage backs off. The drafting occurs at this 
point, and since the tendency is for the twist 
to take effect between the lumps, as previously 
mentioned, it follows that the lumps are more 
or less untouched with reference to twists by 
the mule, remaining soft and pliable, and 
being drawn out only slightly in size. The 
thinner places between the lumps have taken 
all the twist which actually ought to have 



CARDING AND SPINNING 21 

gone in the full length of the thread under 
operation, said fine hard twisted portions of 
the yarn not drawing down any to speak of. 
For this reason the mule does little toward 
correcting such imperfect roving, resulting in 
an uneven yarn as readily seen by means of 
examining diagram Fig. 2, where we see that 
the bunches, as mentioned before, although 
slightly drawn out as to size, are yet distinct 
in the thread, the thinner portions of the 
thread having taken all the twist, clearly 
showing too much of it. The reason for this 
is found in the fact that the larger in circum- 
ference a body, the harder it is to revolve it, 
and since the lumps in the roving are of a 
larger diameter as compared to the thinner 
portions of the thread, it consequently follows 
that said lumpy portions of the thread acquire 
little, if any, twist compared to the thinner 
portions; in fact all the thinner portions in 
the full stretch of roving under operation 
must be twisted solidly into a wire, as we 
might say, before twist is put in the larger 
places, i. e., the bunches, each bunch acting as 
a pin of a fixed lever for the length of the 
thin roving adjoining. 

The proper amount of the draft to be put in 
the yarn at the mule, requires good judgment, 
the rule usually observed being that the longer 
and coarser the stock, the quicker the drawing 



22 KINKS ON WOOL 

should be. If the roving pulls out from be- 
tween the draft rollers during drawing, it is a 
sure sign that the draft is too slow, and for 
which reason put on a larger draft gear (back- 
ing off gear), or let out on the upper steady 
rope and take up at the bottom. If the rov- 
ing snaps off about half way between the draft 
roll and the tops of the spindle during draw- 
ing, it is an indication that the carriage is 
backing off too quickly, the twist not having 
a chance to take hold, and in which instance 
reverse the previously given advice. 

Conrad. 



Vigogne Yarn 



I am informed that the enclosed sample of 
vigogne yarn, or in fact any vigogne yarn, is 
not made in this country. Can you tell me 
where it is manufactured? 

Manufacturer (1199). 

The sample enclosed was a cotton and wool 
mixed yarn. Our French correspondent in 
replying to this inquiry gives the following 
account of the genuine vigogne fiber and the 
fabrics made from it: 

Of all the special wools obtained from South 
America such as lama, guanaco, alpaca, vi- 
gogne, etc., it is the last named which excels 
all the others. The vigogne hair is used in the 
manufacture of shawls, fishing nets and 
cloaks. The different shades of vigogne hair 



CARDING AND SPINNING 2$ 

are lirst separated. The inhabitants of the 
countries where vigogne hair is grown produce 
a very solid fabric from it which compares 
favorably with the best grades of wool goods. 
It is completely waterproof and at the same 
time fine and light. The best vigogne fabrics 
come from Catamarca in the Argentine Re- 
public. Since 18 90 an imitation of vigogne 
has been made. This consists in mixing wool 
and cotton in variable proportions. In many 
cases the wool is replaced by the hair of the 
angora rabbit and sometimes of the ordinary 
rabbit. I will try to send you a few samples 
of vigogne fabrics in a few days. Gaul. 



Changing to Coarse Stock 

We have changed our cards over to a coarse 
clothing for long coarse stock but have not 
changed the fancy. Now the doffer cannot 
take the stock from the cylinder and the cloth- 
ing is choked up. We have tried setting the 
fancy deeper into the cylinder, running it 
faster, and have even bent the wire forward. 
Is there anything you can suggest that will 
help us out? Foster (9 67). 

This seems to be a case of saving the old 
fancy at any cost. As there is only one fancy 
on a card and as the cost of reclothing it with 
wire suited to the work would be small, I 
would suggest that Foster get clothing a little 
coarser than that on the cylinder. All the 



24 KINKS ON WOOL 

expedients tor making the fancy do work it 
was never intended to do seem to have been 
tried, so I judge a very short stock had been 
previously used or the fancy was about worn 
out. The range of work that a fancy will do 
is large, but there are limits and when 
reached, the cost of new clothing should not 
be considered against the loss caused by 
makeshift devices. Burleigh. 



Soap and Oil Solution 

Please let me know what I can use to keep- 
a solution of oil, soap and water from separat- 
ing. This solution is made by boiling the fol- 
lowing ingredients: 

14 gals, prime lard oil, 
3 lbs. olive worsted soap, 
3 gals, water. 

Perth (1263). 

The quantities of materials indicated by our 
correspondent are not properly balanced; the 
quantity of soap, being only 7.9 per cent., is 
too small to emulsify the 27.3 per cent, of lard 
oil. As soap itself is an emulsifying com- 
pound, the greater the amount used the 
greater will be the result. It is suggested that 
our correspondent use not less than 25 pounds 
of soap in this mixture and increase the 
amount of water by 10 gallons. To effect a 
more thorough emulsification of the oil the 
addition of a few pounds of concentrated soda 
ervstals is recommended, as it will aid materi- 



CARDING AND SPINNING 2$ 

ally. Very good results are obtained by the 
use of a few quarts of any good sulphated oil, 
taking the place of a corresponding weight of 
soap. It is presumed that our correspondent's 
mixture is intended for oiling wool, and if 
such is the case he will find should he use a 
mixture containing sulphated oil, that the lard 
oil will not separate after boiling, and that the 
scouring out of the lard oil will be more easily 
effected. Berwick. 



If the soap is of a good quality, it alone 
should be sufficient to emulsify the oil and 
water present. The designation, "olive wor- 
sted soap" is, however, a rather indefinite one. 
If it is an olive oil soda soap containing about 
25 to 3 per cent, of water, the proportion 
here given should easily carry the oil without 
any separation. If, however, the soap is only 
a soft soap made up with a large proportion of 
water, it is probable that there is not sufficient 
real soap present to properly emulsify the oil 
and water. To bring about such an emulsion 
that will not separate into its constituents, it 
will be necessary to add a small amount of 
alkali to the mixture in question. I would 
suggest the use of 3 to 4 pounds of soda ash. 
The latter should first be dissolved in some 
water to be used by boiling, and then the solu- 
tion added to that of the soap and oil, and the 



26 KINKS ON WOOL 

whole mixture well boiled up together. If it 
is not desirable to use soda ash on account of 
any special use to which the emulsion is to be 
put, a milder alkali like borax may be em- 
ployed. About 4 to 5 pounds of borax should 
be substituted in this case for the soda ash. 
The use of borax will make the emulsion 
somewhat more expensive, but its alkalinity 
will be much milder. Howell. 



Nubs for Knickerbockers 

We are going- to make a line of knickerbock- 
ers and I would like to get some information 
on making nubs; how to set the cards to get 
good yarn. Akron (983). 

To make nubs for knickerbockers select 
short, fine wool and run it through the picker 
dry and then through a first breaker as fol- 
lows: Feed on very light; set off the workers 
from the cylinder 3/16 of an inch; set the 
strippers just close enough to the cylinders to 
clear them; set the doffer with a 28-gauge. 
Do not run the comb; set the fancy just to 
touch the cylinder, start the card and the nubs 
will drop under the card. For nubs larger or 
smaller set the cards accordingly. 

These nubs are then taken to the fulling 
room and fulled until quite hard, then dried 
and they are ready for mixing. When the 
batch is ready for the cards set off the workers 
of the first breaker from 1/8 to 3/16 of an 



CARDING AND SPINNING 2? 

inch; let the strippers remain as they were, 
but set the workers off the strippers slightly; 
set the doffers as for regular work and the 
fancy the same. 

Set the second breaker the same as the first, 
except that the worker next the fancy is set 
quite close to the cylinder. This is to regulate 
the size of the nubs required; set the fancy 
the same as on ordinary stock. Set the fin- 
isher the same as the first and second break- 
ers, with the exception of the first and last 
workers. These can be set closer to the cyl- 
inder to regulate the size of the nubs. The 
best way to get the workers on both sides alike 
is to notice the number of turns on the nut 
before setting. Sam Driver. 



Difficulty With Rub Rolls on Coarse Wool 

We would like to know of a good means for 
overcoming the difficulty in making well 
rubbed roping from pure wool similar to the 
enclosed sample. What is the best lubricant 
for this class of wool? A great deal of stock 
drops below the card and the roping runs back 
on the mule on account of the roping being 
so loose and fluffy. Dexter (1158). 

In carding coarse wool like the sample sub- 
mitted, I found the following method to give 
the best results: The aprons should be set to 
a 32 gauge with the middle roll on the same 
level with the rest, giving them a long run and 
being careful that they do not rub together. 



28 KINKS ON WOOL 

They can usually be run at 3 50 revolutions,, 
but if they shake the card at a less speed they 
are either worn badly or set wrong. The one 
that is either too long or too short should be 
changed. Stop the aprons so that when the 
eccentric is moved it will go either towards or 
away from the card, as it will move easier In 
this position. The eccentric is held by two 
bolts on the under side. A leader should 
never be used on either pulley and the belt 
can generally be made to run properly by 
adjusting the idle pulleys. Keep the aprons 
damp or they will not do their work. The 
best dressing for aprons is made of three parts 
crude oil and one part degras. With very lit- 
tle heat this mixture will readily blend. Put 
this mixture on after stripping the cards and 
the work will go along smoothly. Coarse wool 
will sometimes drop under the card if the 
cylinders are allowed to get dull, or are run 
too fast. The cylinders on coarse wool should 
run about 70 revolutions a minute. 

Lytton. 

To answer this question intelligently one 
should be on the spot, as the question is rather 
indefinite. Much depends on the adjustment 
of the rub rolls. The Barker condensers can 
be made to rub anything if they are properly 
adjusted and oiled with the right kind of rub 
oil. Neatsfoot or Castor oil answers very well 



CARDING AND SPINNING 2g 

as a rub oil. Some claim that they are too 
expensive, but no oil is too expensive that 
gives satisfaction. Many carders are handi- 
capped by superintendents who insist that 
because an oil is cheap the carders must use 
it. Use enough oil or emulsion to keep the 
stock partly damp. Judgment must be used 
in oiling the wool. Get the stock damp, but 
not too wet, and it will work better. If the 
rubs get filled up with oil use some ammonia 
as this will cut out the oil and make the rubs 
take hold better and give better results. 

If the stock drops below the cards they 
must be running too fast. For this grade of 
stock 85 revolutions per minute is fast enough. 
If run any faster, there will be a lot of waste 
made. Setting the cards properly and having 
them sharp cannot help but give good work. 
Adding a little powdered rosin to the rub roll 
will make them take hold better. If "Dexter" 
is using the old style rub roll he should take 
each set out and grind down even on a roller 
grinder and then set close with a little oil on 
each. Rogers. 



A Kink in Carbonizing 

It will show how economy is consulted in 
the Yorkshire handling of rags if a leaf from 
the book of a Leeds firm is quoted. These 
dealers had an unlimited demand at one time 



30 KINKS ON WOOL 

for carbonized waste of a maroon or brown 
color. They asked a dyer how they could car- 
bonize and dye brown in one operation? He 
brought them some Azo-Carmine, which was 
dissolved in the acid for carbonizing. The 
latter was strong enough to discharge some of 
the original color and after the oven-drying 
and the subsequent willeying the mixed rags 
came out all wool and all brown of substan- 
tially the very shade wanted. The item is 
given as an encouragement to experiment and 
to ingenuity. Regent. 



Causes of Uneven Roping 

I read a list of Causes of Uneven Roping in 
the Textile World Record several months ago 
and I cut out the article. It has been lost and 
I want to get another one like it, for there are 
some points in it that I had not heard before, 
and I've been in the card-room since I was a 
boy. Perhaps it wouldn't do any harm if you 
published it again. Dobney (937). 

The portion of the article referred to by 
Dobney is as follows: When using creels on 
the second breaker never have a full set in at 
one time; have partly filled spools on one-hair 
of the creel and full spools on the other half: 
the roping will be more even in this way. 
When all the spools run out together there 
are so many splicings that they cause the rop- 
ing to be heavy for a time. The more spools 



CARDING AND SPINNING 31 

there are in the creels the more doubling and 
the more even roping. One drawing out 
makes the roping finer. 

Among the causes of uneven roping are im- 
perfect cleaning and mixing of the stock, ir- 
regularity in putting on oil and composition, 
inaccurate weighing and feeding, feed rolls 
and other cylinders winding stock and filling 
up after stripping, strained drawings from 
second breaker to Apperly feed, belts and 
gears slipping, and inferior card-room help. 
Perfection in the form of all cylinders from 
the largest to the smallest is essential in mak- 
ing even roping. 

If the ring doffer is out of true so that it 
comes nearer to the cylinder during one part 
of its revolution, there will be a gradual vari- 
ation in the roping from coarse to fine and the 
increase and decrease will alternate in lengths 
equal to the circumference of the ring. If the 
main cylinder is out of true so that one side 
runs nearer to the doffer than the other, the 
variations in size of roping will be repeated in 
lengths equal to the circumference of the cyl- 
inder. Uneven roping may also be caused by 
the workers, leader-in, tumbler and fancy 
being out of true. 

These imperfections may not always be ap- 
parent to the naked eye and are not very 
easily detected. There is no doubt that these 
small things are the cause of uneven roping 



32 KINKS ON WOOL 

and of uneven yarn, besides an endless 
amount of trouble. The remedy is simple and 
consists in truing the small cylinder as well 
as the large one and keeping them true no 
matter how hard the cards may be driven. 
Quality first and then quantity is the best rule 
for both carder and manufacturer. 

The feed rolls should be of the same size 
and perfectly true; if one is larger than the 
other, they will not deliver evenly, and this 
will be more or less perceptible in the yarn 
according to the difference in size between 
them. Another very frequent cause of uneven 
roping is the careless manner in which the 
pulleys are lagged with leather, making them 
untrue or lopsided, causing the belt to run 
slack or tight, thus driving them at unequal 
speeds and producing results similar to thoje 
from uneven surfaces. 

A dull tumbler will cause uneven strands on 
the ends of the spools. Uneven feeds make 
uneven roping. Another cause is defective 
setting of the ring doffers. If the fancy on 
the finisher is set too hard or runs too fast or 
the card runs too long without stripping, or if 
the cylinder is dull, fine strands will be made 
on the ends of spools and heavy strands in the 
middle. The first full spools made after strip- 
ping the cylinder should be torn up. 

Crowding the stock in the first breaker feed 
and then letting it run nearly out is the cause 



CARDING AND SPINNING 33 

of much uneven roping. The small pulleys of 
the Apperly feed should be cleaned and oiled 
every week. When weighing roping weigh the 
tops and bottoms, then the sides and the mid- 
dle. The tops and bottoms should be run sep- 
arately. If making warp and filling from the 
same lot, the tops will make the strongest 
warp. To ensure even roping, the feed rolls, 
leader-in and tumbler should be faultless. If 
they are allowed to get filled with stock, the 
best results will not lie obtained. 



Oiling Different Kinds of Stock 

We would like to obtain all the information 
possible as to the use of oil or emulsion on 
woolen stock to be carded. 

Should the consistency of the emulsion, i. e., 
the proportion of the ingredients, vary in a 
mill according to the different stocks it is 
using, or is it customary for a mill to use the 
same proportion of ingredients? 

Are there a few standard proportions which 
could be given as suitable for the different 
kinds of woolen mill work? 

What regulates the proper amount of emul- 
sion to be used? 

Are any better results obtained by using all 
oil instead of a mixture? Dalton (1025). 

It is customary for manufacturers to vary 
proportions of the emulsions to suit the stock 
that is being carded. 

There are no standard proportions that 
could be given for the different kinds of stock. 



34 KINKS ON WOOL 

The materials used for woolen goods vary so 
widely that the exact proportions of oil and 
water can be determined only by actul tests. 
The amount of emulsion is regulated to pro- 
duce the most perfect yarn with the least 
amount of waste. 

Opinions vary widely among manufacturers 
regarding the relative advantages of using oil 
or a mixture of oil and water on wool. One of 
the disadvantages of using water is the evap- 
oration which causes an irregularity in the 
stock. If effective means are taken to prevent 
excessive evaporation a moderate amount of 
water facilitates the carding process. Any 
water added to the stock in the picking room 
of course evaporates before it reaches the 
spinning process. 



Soft Noses on Bobbins 

We are spinning 7-8 to I 1/4-run yarn on 
English and American mules and are troubled 
with soft noses on the bobbins which cause 
the filling to slip from the bobbin during 
weaving and make much waste. Can you 
suggest a remedy? Ridley (542). 

We have secured the following expert opin- 
ions on this trouble, the cause of which is very 
difficult to point out without knowing all the 
conditions in the mill where it exists. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 35 

Be sure that the quadrant on the mule i& 
not set too far back, as this will invariably 
cause the mule to wind hard on the shoulder 
and soft or slack on the nose. If it is a Davis 
and Furber machine be sure that the two 
center tracks are perfectly true and level, 
otherwise it will wind with soft places. The 
builder rail should also be in such a position 
as will insure an even wind. Holz. 



In order to answer the question fully we 
ought to have full details of the style of mule, 
together with the number of teeth in the 
gears, the kind of quadrant plate, builder, etc. 
Soft noses on bobbins can often be remedied 
by setting the quadrant arm a little lower 
down. This has the effect of turning the spin- 
dles faster when the yarn is being wound on 
the nose, thus making them tighter. 

The difficulty might also be caused by the 
faller leg knocking off the square stud too 
soon, or it may be that there is something that 
is imperfectly set just at the finish of the 
draw so that the weight is taken off the yarn 
and the yarn is not wound on the nose under 
tension. There are so many things that might 
cause this difficulty, and which vary with each 
type of mule, that we can give only general 
information without knowing more of the 
details. Wilts. 



36 KINKS ON WOOL 

There are many things that might cause the 
trouble which Ridley mentions. The floor may 
be uneven; the track may drop as it goes 
toward the head and the machine get ahead 
of the wind; the faller might trip too quickly. 
If we could have one of the bobbins sent us 
we think there would be no difficulty in find- 
ing a remedy. Lincoln. 



Preventing Soft Noses on Cops 

How can a woolen or worsted mule be pre- 
vented from making soft noses on tops of cops 
without a nosing motion? Stamford (670). 

There are various things that would cause a 
bobbin or cop to be soft on the top. First, if 
the quadrant arm is too far from the vertical 
the nose will be too loose. Second, the trouble 
might be in the builder shoes; they not being 
adjusted properly, as is often the case. Set 
the rail on the forward and back shoes so that 
when the builder is wound up the studs will be 
close to the top of the incline. The adjust- 
ment for both shoes at once is made by the 
slot in that part of the rail opposite the in- 
clined side. If necessary change the position 
of the back shoe, without moving the front 
shoes, by the small rod connecting the two. 
For cops I would suggest that the shoe on the 
inside be set so that the end of the builder rail 
be just on the edge of the groove on the shoe, 



CARDING AND SPINNING 37 

ready to start down as soon as the builder 
starts to work. 

It is sometimes necessary to have a special 
shoe on the front end of the builder rail. For 
cops this can be secured from the shops where 
the mules are made. At the rear end of the 
rail there should be a hinged flip, one end 
hinged to the rail and the other end resting 
on a set screw, and as the rail is lowered the 
flip, which is adjustable, becomes raised on a 
level with the rail. Now the end attached to 
the rail is lowered with it while the end rest- 
ing on the casting remains stationary. As a 
result the angle on the corner of the flip be- 
comes raised above the surface of the builder 
rail, and as the carriage comes against the 
back stops the builder rail traveler strikes the 
projection thus formed, and imparts a sharp 
flip to the winding faller. The effect of this 
is to wind a few turns of yarn down over the 
nose of the bobbin, making a firm nose and 
preventing the yarn from slubbing up the 
bobbin. 

Then again the trouble might be in the 
drum gear, which is driven by the quadrant 
chain. This gear should be larger for the 
winding of cops. They have any desired num- 
ber of teeth for this gear at the shops where 
the mules are made. Spinner. 



T,S KINKS ON WOOL 

Testing for Soap or Alkali in Waste Liquor 

Would you please inform me if there is any 
chemical in liquid or powder form that when 
added to waste liquor from washing" machines 
will determine any trace of soap or alkali? 

• Atwood (2038). 

The testing of wash water to determine 
whether it is free from soap or alkali is not 
difficult, but in order to be sure of one's re- 
sults it becomes necessary that the tests be 
made carefully with properly prepared chemi- 
cals. Testing for the presence of soap in any 
wash or rinse water is best done with a few 
drops of dilute muriatic acid added to a sam- 
ple of the water contained in a clean glass. 
If soap in appreciable quantity is present, the 
water will become slightly turbid, due to the 
separation of free fatty acid. If, on the other 
hand, the amount of soap in the wash water 
is very slight, the degree of turbidity may be 
«o faint as to be difficult to detect. As most 
mill soaps always contain free alkali, perhaps 
the best test is for free alkali, which, if found, 
is always a sure indication that soap is also 
present. A solution of phenolphthalein in 
alcohol (1 part of the former to 500 parts of 
the latter) is first prepared. It can be ob- 
tained at a drug store. Four ounces of this 
solution will be sufficient for hundreds of 
tests, as only one or two drops are used for a 
test. A glass of the water to be tested is 



CARDING AND SPINNING 39 

taken, and to it is added a drop or two of the 
phenolphthalein solution, when, if soap con- 
taining- free alkali is present, the entire solu- 
tion becomes tinted pink or reddish according 
to the amount present. 

As the solution of phenolphthalein is very 
sensitive to alkali, the person who makes the 
test should wash a test glass thoroughly after 
each test, and keep it in a place where it may 
not collect dust. The bottle containing the 
test solution should have a glass stopper. 

Beta-Naphthol. 



Horse Power of a Waterfall 

Please give the rule for estimating without 
instruments the flow of water over a waterfall. 
Also give me the rule for estimating the num- 
ber of horse power where the height of the 
fall and the flow of water are known, the lat- 
ter having been found by the rule asked for 
above. Maynard (1167). 

The following is the method for the meas- 
urement of an open stream by velocity and 
cross-section to arrive at the theoretical horse 
power of the stream: Measure the depth of 
the water at from 6 to 12 points across the 
stream at equal distances between. Add all 
the depths in feet together and divide by the 
number of measurements made; this will be 
the average depth of the stream, which mul- 
tiplied by its width will give its area or cross- 



40 KINKS ON WOOL 

section. Multiply this by the velocity of the 
stream in feet per minute, and the result will 
be the discharge in cubic feet per minute. 

The velocity of the stream can be found by 
laying - off 100 feet of the bank and throwing a 
float into the middle, noting the time taken in 
passing over the 100 feet. Do this a number 
of times and take the average; dividing this? 
distance by the time gives the velocity at the 
surface. As the top of the stream flows faster 
than the bottom or sides, the average velocity 
being about 83 per cent, of the surface veloc- 
ity at the middle, it is convenient to measure 
a distance of 120 feet for the float and reckon 
it as 100. 

Water Power: 

English Rule: 33,000 pounds raised one 
foot in one minute = 1 h. p. 

200 pounds of water (20 imperial gallons) 
3 feet fall per second = 1 h. p. or 60 gallons 
1 foot fall per second — 1 h. p. there- 
fore: 224 gallons = 2240 (lbs.) X 3 (feet) 
X 60 (seconds) -r- 33,000 = 12.2 h. p. Deduct- 
ing 25 per cent, on account of turbine loss 
gives 9.8 actual or effective h. p. 

If the sectional area is taken in small sec- 
tions and different rates of flow, 10 per cent. 
for friction would be about right. 

The gross power of a fall of water is the 
product of the weight of water discharged in 
a unit of time into the total head, or the dif- 



CARDING AND SPINNING 41 

ference of vertical elevation of the upper sur- 
face of the water at the points where the fall 
in question begins and ends. The term "head" 
used in connection with water wheels is the 
difference in height from the surface of the 
water in the wheel-pit and the surface in the 
pen-stock when the wheel is running. 

A water wheel or motor of any kind can- 
not utilize the whole of the head since there 
are losses of head at both the entrance to and 
the exit from the wheel. There are also losses 
of energy due to friction of the water in its. 
passage through the wheel. 

F. S. Hinds, 
Architect and Engineer. 



Production of Woolen Finisher Card 

Please state the best method of calculating 
the production of a woolen finisher card. I 
have calculated the production of our finisher 
cards, from the weight of roving and size of 
doffer rings, but the results vary from 15 to 2i> 
per cent, from the actual product. The out- 
side diameter of rings is 11 3/4 inches. Tht 
doffer makes 14 turns per minute. We are 
using 11 rub-roll condensers. The roving reels 
1 1/2 runs as it comes from the condenser. 
There are 20 ends taken from each of the two 
doffers. Iroquois (342). 

The error in Iroquois' calculation is evident 
from his explanation. He has neglected to 
take into account the draft of the roving by 



42 KINKS ON WOOL 

the condenser. At our request Iroquois has 
informed us that the spool drum at the fin- 
isher is 29 inches in circumference, and makes 
21 turns per minute, showing a surface speed 
of 609 inches per minute. The surface speed 
of the doffer, which is 11 3/4 inches in diam- 
eter and makes 14 turns per minute, is 517 
inches per minute, consequently the spool 
drum winds 18 per cent more length of rov- 
ing than the doffer is delivering. This in- 
crease is due to the draft of the rub rolls. 
Iroquois' error was due to his calculating from 
the speed of the doffer and the weight of yarn 
at the spool drum. 

Taking the speed of the spool drum and 
weight of the roving at the spool drum as 
factors we calculate the production of the card 
as follows: 

609 (in. per min.) X 40 (ends) = 677 yds. 
roving per min. 

677 (yds.) ~ 150 (yds. per oz.) = 4 1/2 ozs. 
roving per min. 

4 1/2 (ozs.) X 60 (min. per hour) = 17 lbs. 
roving per hour. 



Operatives Needed for a Ten Set Mill 

How many operatives would be required for 
a mill manufacturing wool goods like the en- 
closed samples, which are medium carded 
woolen goods? I wish that you would make 
out a list of the machinery for a ten set mill 



CARDING AND SPINNING 43 

equipped for this class of work, and give a 
statement of the number of hands required. 
I would like to have you give the number of 
each kind of operatives. Gaylord (1891). 

In dealing with the equipment of a ten-set 
woolen mill, I will begin with the machinery 
for handling the raw stock. If it is the inten- 
tion of the party to scour his own wool, it 
will be necessary to have a four-bowl wool 
scouring machine, a 21-foot dryer, an ex- 
tractor, and burr picker, with two men to 
operate these machines. The next depart- 
ment should be the dye house, equipped with 
five dye tubs, 8 feet wide, and 4 feet deep, 
with perforated false bottom, made of cypress 
and fitted with at least a 3-inch pipe to allow 
an ample supply of water. It will be neces- 
sary to have three men to pole the stock in 
the tubs and attend to the extracting, with 
another man to run the dryer and double 
sheet the stock, and an overseer of dyeing. 

The picker house comes next. There should 
be a fearnaught. This equipped with an auto- 
matic feed should properly handle all the mix- 
ing for a ten-set mill. It will also be neces- 
sary to have an oil tank in which to make and 
measure the emulsion for the stock, and a 
duster for the mill waste, also a blower sys- 
tem to convey the mixed stock to the different 
bins in the card room. Three men should be 
able to handle the mixing and dusting, under 



44 KINKS ON WOOL 

the supervision of the overseer of carding, or 
his second hand, and attend to the stock. 

In laying out the card room, large bins 
should be built, with a large galvanized iron 
pipe running overhead, with an opening and 
switch in each bin, and connecting with the 
picker house, so as to enable the picker man 
to blow his stock to any one of the bins. The 
cards should be four cylinder, 60 by 60 inches, 
with Bramwell feed for first breaker and Ap- 
perly connecting with finisher card, combina- 
tion rubs and garnett breast, also one floor 
grinder and two traverse grinders. For help 
there will be an overseer, second hand, and a 
third hand to reel and weigh the roping. Two 
strippers, one man to attend to the Bramwell 
feeds, two men to care for the Apperly feeds, 
and two boys to attend the finishers. 

The spinning room should have twelve 
mules, 2-inch gauge, four hundred spindles 
each, and using an 8-inch bobbin, and a full- 
ing machine for fulling spindle bands. The 
help would be an overseer, fixer, one man to 
carry roping from the card room, a boy ta 
sort waste, and twelve spinners. 

In the spooling and dressing department, 
four spooling frames should be sufficient to 
handle the work, and two dressing frames 
equipped with size box and dryer for sizing 
yarn, one twisting machine and one skein 
winding machine. The help required would 



CARDING AND SPINNING 45 

be an overseer, one man to help around the 
room and take warps to the weave room, two 
dresser tenders, one girl each on the twisting 
.and skein winding machines, and four girls to 
do the spooling. 

In the weaving department it will be neces- 
sary to have three drawing-in frames, forty- 
five 8 2-inch looms for thirty harness work. 
These should be four-box looms. The over- 
seer should have a man to attend to the reeds 
and harnesses and direct the drawing in. 
There would also be required two filling car- 
riers, one boy to sort waste and pick up bob- 
bins, three drawing-in girls, and in some 
places it will be found necessary to have boys 
or young girls to hand in to the girls that are 
drawing-in warps. One man to look over all 
warps before starting the loom in order to 
guard against wrong drawing-in or reeding. 
Two loom fixers, each one to take care of a 
section of nineteen looms. The remaining 
seven looms to be taken care of by either a 
spare hand, or the man who does the perch- 
ing. The burling and sewing should be under 
the supervision of the overseer of finishing. 
The amount of help required depends alto- 
gether upon the class of goods made, and the 
class of weavers in the mill. 

The finishing room should have five fulling 
mills, two 8-string washers, one extractor, one 
-cloth dryer, one sand roll machine, three 



4.6 KINKS ON WOOL 

shears, two steam brushing machines, one 
press, one dewing - machine and one measur- 
ing and winding machine. The help in the 
department, besides the overseer, would in- 
clude a second hand, two men for the fulling 
and washing, two men on the dryer, three 
men on the shears, one man on the press, and 
one to run the steam brush, or help in the 
shipping of goods. The engine and boilers 
would come under the care of the master 
mechanic, who would have an engineer, fire- 
man and helper. 

If the mill was located far from a city it 
would be necessary to have a fair sized ma- 
chine and carpenter shop, with a master me- 
chanic, boss carpenter and two helpers. 

If some of the stock is to be carbonized, it 
will be necessary to add two cypress dip tanks 
with cages for acid, another extractor, and a 
neutralizing washer to the wool scouring de- 
partment. The same dryer can be used for 
carbonizing as well as for wool drying, and 
one more man would have to be added to this 
department. Manx. 



Setting Mixing* Picker 

We are running a mixing picker with con- 
cave feed rolls which seem to raise havoc with 
the staple. Will you give me some pointers 
on how the machine ought to be set so I can 
compare them with our machine. 

Daniels (1131). 



CARDING AND SPINNING 47 

1. The picker should be set on a solid 
foundation so that there will be no vibration. 

2. The spiked feed roll and concave dish 
should be set as close as possible to the cyl- 
inder teeth and not strike. This will keep the 
feed roll from winding stock. 

3. The feed roll should be set down in con- 
cave within half an inch of striking. If set 
way off the stock will dwell in concave and 
cause it to cut the staple. Save the staple. 

4. The feed rolls and apron should run as 
fast as the cylinder will take it. This saves 
the staple, because there will be no chance for 
the stock to dwell in the concave. 

5. The grates and outlet kept clean and 
not allowed to get filled up with dirt under 
the picker. This will give a better draft and 
the picker will do better work. The stock will 
be cleaner. 

6. Plenty of ventilation back of the gauze 
room, and the belts all good and tight. 

With a picker equipped with spur teeth feed 
rolls the feed rolls must be set as close to the 
cylinder as on concave feed; everything else 
the same. D. R. S. 



The Belgium System of Woolen Carding 

What is the Belgium system of woolen card- 
ing? How does it differ from the system gen- 
erally employed in American mills? 

Geister (1932). 



48 KINKS ON WOOL 

Regarding the Belgium system of carding, 
I wish to say, it is a known fact that a great 
deal of fine short noils and waste from Eng- 
land find their way over to Belgium to be con- 
verted into fine spun, beautiful yarn running 
from 7 to 9 runs, and reshipped to England. 
Europe is noted for making fine shoddy and 
yarns. They have the system down to such a 
nicety that a high class of goods is a result. 
The Belgium system has not grown in the 
United States simply because it requires 
skilled help to run the machinery. There are 
only a few mills in this country that u^e the 
system. 

Like our own woolen cards, the Belgium 
system has three operations, namely, first and 
second breaker and finisher. On account of 
the fine, short stock used, the cards are cov- 
ered with hoods to Heep in the fly. Unlike our 
own first breaker in the woolen system with 
its doffer and side creel to a bobbin, the first 
machine in Belgium makes laps or rolls that 
are fed to the second machine, the object be- 
ing to give a more perfect blending of the 
stock, especially in mixtures. The second ma- 
chine resembles our second breaker, but when 
the stock reaches the doffer it is combed off 
and runs on a railroad back of the third ma- 
chine or finisher. There is a traverse motion 
going back and forth the width of the apron. 

The stock comes out of the front of the 



CARDING AND SPINNING 49 

finisher in a thin web, and is subdivided into 
threads — passing- through the rub aprons — 
and then to the spools. Narrow leather belts 
divide the sliver and there are four spools fill- 
ing at a time from the front end of the ma- 
chine instead of only two as is the case of the 
ordinary finisher or condenser. The belts 
dividing the ends are very narrow, about 1/4 
inch wide, with 240 ends coming from a 
60-inch card on to four spools. The Belgium 
system is noted for its using very short and 
very fine stock. It is not adapted for coarse 
stock. The construction of the finisher is com- 
plicated. The greatest care has to be taken 
in setting the motion, and if the man in 
charge does not understand the machine there 
is endless trouble for him. The workers and 
strippers on all the machines are covered. 

Schwartz wald. 



Fine Ends on the Apperly Feed 

I am having trouble with the side ends com- 
ing fine on the finisher of a card that is 
equipped with an Apperly feed. Can you sug- 
gest any remedy? Bunker (731). 

There are many things that cause the out- 
side strands to be fine at times. I would ad- 
vise Bunker to take out the doffers and give 
them a good light grinding. Then I should 
give them a good brushing with a hand card 
covered with wool. Grind all day if neces- 



50 KINKS ON WOOL 

sary, or until they are perfectly true. Per- 
haps the waste ring is a trifle higher than the 
others. In that case I should move the out- 
side or waste ring out 1/16 or 1/8 of an inch 
so the ring next to it on the other doffer would 
deliver heavier roving. The spare ring may 
steal from the ring next to it. When I had 
trouble with the outside end being fine I used 
to take out the packing of the spare or waste 
ring and move it out 1/16 or 1/8 and that 
would bring up the outside strands to their 
proper size. I should incline the overhead 
drawing on the side that was fine. 

Sam Driver. 



Setting of Workers and Strippers 

We are running our cards on stock to be 
made into felt goods. This stock contains 
wool, cotton and shoddy in varying amounts, 
according to the quality of goods desired. 
There has been some discussion among carders 
as to the setting of the workers and strippers 
on the main cylinder. One carder maintains 
that to get good results from practically two 
cards, the setting of all workers should be the 
same. I maintain that the last two should be 
set closer than the first and second workers. 
We are using all fillett clothing, No. 3 3 wire 
on workers and main cylinder. Can you ad- 
vise me which one has the better argument in 
regard to setting the cylinders for best re- 
sults? At present we are running workers set 
about 3 2 gauge. Exeter (1935). 



CARDING AND SPINNING 5 1 

The 3 2 gauge is all right and the workers 
should all be set the same. One thing can be 
done that will greatly benefit this class of 
work, and that is to have the worker pulleys 
all of different sizes. Start from the feed end 
of the card and have each pulley one-quarter 
of an inch larger than the one before it. This 
will make a more even mix and smoother rov- 
ing, the stock will spin better and make 
better yarn. It is also a good plan for second 
breaker card. The idea of setting a part of 
the workers off on a finisher card on this class 
of work can have but one result. The first 
that are set off will deliver the long stock and 
retain the short, consequently the long stock 
will go forward first and be put into the rov- 
ing in the center of the strand; this will put 
the short stock on the outside, which is just 
the reverse of what it should be. 

Lytton. 



The first worker should be set with a 20 
gauge open; the next worker set with the 
same gauge, but left a little looser; the next 
tight, and then graduating more closely until 
the last worker is set as close as possible with- 
out striking the cylinder. Set the strippers 
the same as the workers to cylinder, and set 
the workers as close as possible to the strip- 
pers. Set the doffer close to the cylinder. 



52 KINKS ON WOOL 

The finisher or last card should be graduated 
only a little closer. Commence the first 
worker with a 27 gauge loose; the next one 
set a little close; and so on until the last one 
next to the fancy is set the closest. 

Sam Driver. 



Emery Cloth on Traverse Grinders 

Can you tell me whether traverse grinders 
are ever covered with emery cloth? I have 
heard that they are but I have not seen one. 

Bowie (1137). 

Traverse grinders can be covered with 
emery cloth and are in general use in cotton 
card rooms. To fasten the ends of emery 
cloth or filleting, two small slits are sawed on 
each side of the emery wheel. Then the ends 
of the cloth are put through these slits and 
fastened on the inside of the wheel by small 
clamps. Put on a very light coat of glue and 
wind in the same as with any other filleting. 

D. V. 



Grinding", Settings and Care of Wool Cards 

How often should a card be ground in order 
to keep it in the best possible condition on 50 
per cent, good clean fine Territory wool, 50 
per rent, fine shoddy? 

What are the causes of rough, twitty or 
bunchy work from cards and how avoided? 

How does a perfectly ground point on a 
wool card look? 



CARDING AND SPINNING 53 

What is the best size of wire and clothing to 
use on a set of woolen cards on all fine stock 
(strictly fine), in order to make good, smooth, 
even work free from specks or mixtures of all 
kinds? 

How close can carding surfaces on a wool 
card be kept and not touch, and what thick- 
ness of gauge is best to use to do the setting? 

What is the best for carding out specks, a 
rough point or an absolutely polished, smooth 
point, no matter what the shape of that point 
may be? Carder (19 81). 

Cards should be ground as often as they get 
dull. It is a good plan for the carder to look 
over his cards every day or two, to see if 
there are any dull places on either workers or 
cylinders. If there are, they should be ground 
as soon as possible. It is a good plan to use 
what is called a false worker, which is an iroix 
shaft, to take the place of any worker that 
may be removed. The cylinder should also be 
watched for blisters. A card will never do 
good work when dull. It may have to be 
ground in three or four days, or it may run as 
many months. 

Twits are made in a number of ways. A 
single wire may be pulled up in a ring so as 
to stand a little higher than the others. This 
will often cause a twit every time it comes to 
the wipe roll. 

Rings should be watched carefully for high 
wires, which should be put in place with a 
tube. Noils will sometimes make twits. There 



54 KINKS ON WOOL 

are usually short splinters in noils. One of 
these may get stuck between the wires of a 
ring, and make a twit every time it comes to 
the wipe roll. Twits are often made on the 
mule and the carder is frequently blamed for 
them. Many mules are run without a feed 
rope, the spinner turning the quadrant by 
hand. 

If the spinner happens to be at the end of 
the machine piecing up, and thinks the mule 
will go in without breaking down, he fre- 
quently stays there instead of attending to the 
quadrant. In this way twits may be made the 
whole length of the mule. A single stretch in 
the mule may in this way make more twits 
than a carder will make in half a day. Dull 
wire will make rough work at any time, and 
bunchy work is usually made by the stock 
going in uneven on the feed end of the card. 
The top feed roll should always be covered 
with shorter wire than the bottom. The 
lickerin should be covered with short wire. In 
this way a great deal of bunchy work can be 
prevented. It is a good plan to have the 
worker pulleys of different sizes. This will 
prevent many bunches. 

The appearance of a ground point on a wool 
card depends on what it is ground with. If it 
is ground with fine emery or an old worn out 
grinder, it will look like a chisel. If the 
emery is of good quality and No. 8 in size, it 



CARDING AND SPINNING 55 

will grind the wire more to a needle point, 
which is much to be preferred. 

I prefer No. 3 2 for first breaker; No. 3 3 for 
second breaker; No. 34 for finisher; with a 
straight wire open set for the fancy. 1 never 
use filleting - on a cylinder. I much prefer 
sheets. Filleting will fill up much more 
quickly than sheets, and the stock is harder 
to raise from it. Filleting will not make such 
even roving, for when the card is filled up the 
top doffer will take more than its share of 
stock. 

If the rolls are true, carding surface on a 
wool card can be set to a 32 gauge and not 
touch when at work. A fine, sharp point is 
best for all work on a card. Lytton. 

Winding" Under on Woolen Mules 

We are having considerable trouble with the 
yarn winding under the bobbins on our mules. 
This causes the yarn to break when it is 
spooled or woven from the shuttle. We think 
it is caused by the spinner's allowing the fall- 
ers to get too high. Are we right? If not, 
what is the remedy? Tippecanoe (377). 

This trouble of winding under on woolen 
mules is very annoying and, unfortunately, 
very frequent in woolen mills. Attention to 
the care and management of the machine will 
generally remedy the trouble, but it is one in 
which constant attention is essential, other- 
wise the difficulty will recur. A prominent 



56 KINKS ON WOOL 

builder of spinning machinery, to whom this 
question was submitted, writes the following: 
' There are several things that can cause 
this trouble. In the first place the faller chain 
may be too high; secondly, the mule may be 
backing off too much, leaving the ends too 
slack; thirdly, there may be a flat place on the 
roll that runs on the rail; fourthly, the track 
may not be level, or there may be a low spot 
in the track as a result of the floor having 
sprung; again the trouble may arise from the 
shoe being too straight. The remedies for the 
above faults will readily suggest themselves." 



Testing* Grease Wool to Determine 
Shrinkage 

Please give me information regarding the 
method of testing grease wool to determine its 
shrinkage as practiced in French conditioning 
houses. Sanborn (2018). 

This inquiry was referred to our French 
correspondent who replies as follows: 

Grease wool is rarely conditioned. A sample 
of about two pounds is drawn from the lot. 
This is obtained by drawing small portions 
from a number of bales. These samples are 
taken from the fleeces on the outside of some 
of the bales and on the inside of others. 
Naturally it is necessary to draw the samples 
from different parts of the fleece. In testing 
large lots it is necessary to take the average 



CARDING AND SPINNING S7 

of two or even three samples. The test sample 
thus obtained is weighed in grains. It is then 
scoured by the following process: 

1. Washing in a solution of Marseilles soap 
at 120° F. 

2. Rinsing in water at 80° F. The wool 
should be a clear white after this rinsing. 
The duration of the operations varies greatly, 
depending upon the condition of the wool. 

3. Washing in a 1 to 2 per cent, solution of 
hydrochloric acid at a temperature of 120° F. 

4. Rinsing in a 5 to 6 per cent, solution of 
carbonate of lime at a temperature of 120° F. 

5. Rinsing in a solution of acetic acid at 
80° F. After squeezing the water out by 
hand the sample is placed in an ordinary 
Persoz conditioning oven. The temperature is 
raised to 212° to 240° F. At the end of 
three-quarters of an hour the weight of the 
sample is found to be constant, which indi- 
cates that all of the moisture has been driven 
off by the heat. The weight of the sample in 
this condition is then increased by the conven- 
tional allowance for moisture, which in the 
case of wool is 19 per cent. The director of 
the public conditioning house at Amiens is not 
able to state the exact time required for con- 
ditioning raw wool, as the time varies with 
the condition of the wool. Gaul. 



58 KINKS ON WOOL 

Qualitative Tests for Fibers 

Can you give me a few qualitative tests for 
textile fibers? Walton (974). 

The following is a list of tests that was pub- 
lished in the Textile World Record some time 
ago: 

1. Microscopic Appearance. 

2. Cotton burns without smell, while wool 
and silk shrivel up and give off the odor of 
burning animal matter. 

3. A boiling solution of caustic alkali dis- 
solves silk and wool, but has little action on 
cotton. 

4. Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves 
cotton and silk in the cold, while wool is little 
affected. 

5. Schweitzer's reagent (ammoniacal solu- 
tion of oxide of copper) dissolves cotton and 
silk, but not wool. Cellulose is reprecipitated 
by gum, sugar, or acids, but the silk substance 
by acids alone. 

6. A solution of basic chloride of zinc dis- 
solves silk, but not cotton or wool. 

7. A solution of cotton in concentrated sul- 
phuric acid gives a purple coloration with an 
alcoholic solution of alpha-naphthol. This 
reaction really indicates the presence of sugar, 
and is therefore not given by silk or wool. 

8. Millions reagent (mercurous-mercuric 
nitrate) gives a red color with silk or wool, but 
not with cotton. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 59 

9. Wool (also hair and fur) is blackened by 
heating with a dilute solution of plumbite of 
soda, which is prepared by dissolving litharge 
in caustic soda. Silk and cotton, as they do 
not contain sulphur, are unaffected in color. 

10. Nitric acid colors wool and silk yellow, 
but does not affect cotton. 

11. An acid solution of indigo extract dyes 
wool and silk, but not cotton. 



Nub Effects and How to Produce Them 

We would like to have some information re- 
garding the manufacture of nubs and how 
they are put into the yarn without carding 
out. Saxon (1245). 

Bocker or nub yarns produce very attractive 
effects when properly made and used in cassi- 
meres and dress goods. The nubs can easily 
be made if the process is understood. Short, 
fine wool of a good felting quality is the best 
to use for this purpose and by following the 
instructions here given, good results should 
follow. Take an old breaker card, set the 
workers and strippers off from the cylinder 
according to the size of the nub wanted, and 
remove the doffer comb. Any first breaker 
will answer, but one that is out of commission 
can be made to serve, thus avoiding the ne- 
cessity of breaking into the regular work of 
other cards. Run in a sufficient amount of 
the stock to fill the card. Stop the feed and 



60 KINKS ON WOOL 

allow the card to run, and the nubs will drop 
out in good condition. Fill the card again as 
required to produce the quantity wanted. 

Felting the nubs will make them more firm 
and avoid the liability of being reduced in 
size in the after carding process. This is done 
in various ways, such as boiling, soaping and 
pounding, but there is danger of overdoing or 
a lack of uniformity where these methods are 
followed. The best results the writer ever 
had came from the use of a machine similar 
to a cylinder flock cutter with revolving forks 
or rods in the place of the cutter, the cylinder 
turning in one direction and the forks in the 
other, similar to the action of a revolving 
duster. I found this machine in use when I 
went to the mill, but do not know whether it 
was made specially for the purpose or was a 
remodeled flock cutter. The nubs were 
soaped slightly and put into the cylinder, ana 
the felting was produced without the nubs- 
being felted together, as often happens where 
other methods are employed. The forks kept 
the nubs well separated, and the felting was 
sufficiently slow to avoid overdoing the proc- 
ess. In coloring the nubs, care should be 
taken not to boil too hard or allow them to 
come in close contact with the steam, as this 
will tend to felt them too much or unevenly. 

The amount of nubs required can be mixed 
with the lot at the picker, and the workers set 



CARDING AND SPINNING 6l 

•off a little in carding to avoid reducing the 
nubs in size. This method is often employed, 
but there are sometimes objections to it, es- 
pecially where fine yarns are made. By set- 
ting off the workers the quality of the carding 
is somewhat impaired. If they are not set off 
the nubs are reduced in size, and the fibers 
carded from them go into the body of the 
yarn, tending to change the mixture or shade. 
We have seen rowy goods caused by the fibers 
of the nubs being carded out, producing irreg- 
ular effects, due to the variation in the felted 
condition of the nubs, those that were felted 
the least being more easily carded out. This 
trouble can be guarded against by introducing 
the nubs in the card instead of the picker 
room. This can be done by a special feeding 
arrangement attached to the card, preferably 
the second breaker. The quality of the card- 
ing is not sacrificed, as the necessity of setting 
off the workers is avoided. The device con- 
sists of a V-shaped feed box about 16 inches 
deep and the same width at the top, with the 
length corresponding with the width of the 
card. There is a feed roll similar to the or- 
dinary feed roll of the card, fitted to enter for 
about one-half of its diameter into an aper- 
ture at the bottom of the box. Against this 
feed roll, outside the box, is arranged a brush 
made with straight wire fancy clothing, the 
diameter to be about five inches. Inside the 



62 KINKS ON WOOL 

box there is a shaft with iron pins passing 
through it at different angles, extending about 
four inches from the shaft in each direction. E 
Suitable bearings for all these can be at- 
tached to each end of the box. The device 
can be supported by a frame work resting on 
the floor, and placed so as to deliver the nubs 
directly back of the front worker of the 
second breaker. The feed roll may be driven 
from the shaft of the doffer on the end oppo- 
site the delivery of the card. The brush may 
be driven from the fancy shaft on the delivery 
side and the inside shaft with the pins can be 
driven with either belt or gear, from the 
brush shaft. 

■ The feed roll is speeded to suit the required 
amount of nubs, and the brush is set high 
enough to free the nubs from the feed roll 
and deliver them to the card. The inside ar- 
rangement is to stir the nubs in the box and 
keep them constantly in contact with the feed 
roll. An adjustable strip of metal should be 
set along the edge of the feed aperture on the 
delivery side, which should be toward the 
card. The feed roll and inside shaft should 
turn in the same direction, and the brush in 
the opposite direction. The framework Is 
fastened securely to the floor and the top 
braced from above or from the card frame. It 
will readily be seen that this arrangement 
makes it possible to keep the workers of the 



CARDING AND SPINNING 6j£ 

first and second breakers set to suit the best 
results in carding and serves to retain the full 
size of the nubs. The finisher card will comb 
out the fibers of the nub sufficiently to make 
them spin well into the thread. 

A very small nub giving - an attractive, 
though subdued, effect can be made as fol- 
lows: Where the creel instead of self feed is 
used for the second breaker, fill the workers 
with tallow as far in from the end as corre- 
sponds with the space taken by three or four 
drawings at the feed, and use drawings in that 
space of a color of the nub desired. Where 
the tallow has been used the carding effect 
will be destroyed, and the stock will roll into 
small nubs which will be delivered to the 
finisher in the drawing. The effect may be 
regulated by the number of drawings used and 
the width of the tallow insertion. The stock 
used should be similar to that used for other 
nub effects, and the drawings made separate 
from the regular carding and kept ready for 
use as required. On account of the small size 
of the nubs, strongly contrasting colors are 
desirable. 

These nubs produce very good effects in 
dress goods and other fabrics not requiring 
much gigging. Elmo. 



64 KINKS ON WOOL 

Random Roping 

Will you publish in the Questions and An- 
swers Department how Random roping can 
be made? 

Random roping can be made with a creel 
on the finisher in conjunction with vibrating 
doffers. Everything must be adjusted just 
right, both doffers must be positive in their 
action and care must be taken to have the 
rings occupy their required space and position; 
then the rings will take up the required quan- 
tity of stock from each stripe. Every other 
■drawing-in creel and guide is of a different 
color, say, red alternating with green, etc. 
The roping will have at certain intervals a 
clouded appearance and then grow less cloudy, 
approaching almost a clear color, and then 
gradually reverse until the opposite color pre- 
dominates. D. R. S. 



How to Mix Wool and Shoddy 

We are getting very uneven results from 
wool and shoddy mixes and I would like to get 
an explanation of how it is best to handle 
them up to spinning. Devol (2129). 

In the mixing of wool and shoddy, there 
is nearly always trouble arising from the 
tendency of the latter to lag behind in the 
picking and carding processes, causing an 
irregularity in the yarn, and not infrequently 



CARDING AND SPINNING 65 

serious imperfections in the cloth, such as 
.streaky, rowey and cockled effects. In mix- 
ture effects and where the warp and filling- 
are of contrasting- colors, the results are often 
very unsatisfactory. 

However carefully the stock may be laid 
down and blended in the picker room, when 
it comes from the machine the current of air 
accompanying it tends to carry the wool, 
which is the lighter stock, to the farther parts 
of the blow-room, while the shoddy, being 
heavier from the grease and dirt it contains, 
falls nearer the mouth of the picker, causing 
a partial separation of the two kinds of stock 
and an irregularity in the mixture, which is 
to some extent repeated every time the stock 
goes through the machine. As a result some 
portions of the lot are likely to go to the 
cards with a greater percentage of shoddy 
than others. 

When the stock comes to the cards, the 
spike-apron of the self-feed takes the long 
stock more readily than the short, so that 
there is a tendency for the shoddy to drop 
back, whereby the percentage of this stock is 
increased as the amount of stock in the feed 
gets low. To remedy the difficulty in the 
picker room, various plans have been adopted, 
none of which wholly overcome the trouble. 
One plan is to hang a wooden apron in front 
of the picker at an angle to turn the stock to 



66 KINKS ON WOOL 

the floor, not allowing- the wool to fly to the 
outer parts of the room. Another good idea 
is to have the blow-room as small as possible, 
to do the work conveniently, thus giving less 
room for the wool to get away from the 
shoddy. After striking the walls of the room 
it is forced to fall back where the shorter 
stock is deposited, thus avoiding a separation. 
In carding it is a good plan to keep the self- 
feeds well filled, whereby more uniform re- 
sults are obtained than if the stock is allowed 
to run low in them. The writer was once 
called to a position where they were having 
serious trouble from rowey goods caused by 
the tendency to separation above referred to. 
We adopted a plan that entirely overcame the 
difficulty. We first made a mixture of 20 per 
cent, of wool and 80 per cent, of shoddy and 
ran it through a breaker card. The thorough 
mixing of this amount of wool with the 
shoddy put it into a condition that insured a 
more uniform mixture in the picker room and 
did away entirely with the tendency to sep- 
arate in the self feed. The fibers of shoddy 
were so thoroughly combined with these of 
the wool that they were carried along with 
greater uniformity, both in the picking and 
the carding. One may get the same result by 
vising fleeced shoddy, which is a stock simi- 
larly prepared by the shoddy manufacturer. 
The shoddy maker sometimes makes this com- 



CARDING AND SPINNING 6/ 

bination with stock that is too short to dis- 
pose of to advantage. The woolen manufac- 
turer is often led to believe that fleeced shoddy 
is intended to deceive him, but it is really to 
his advantage if procured at a reasonable 
figure. 

Where one has not the machinery to pre- 
pare the stock as suggested, he may get good 
results by selecting his shoddy, and then ar- 
ranging with the party to combine with it the 
desirable percentage of wool. This the shoddy 
manufacturer can easily do, and one can know 
he is getting just what he pays for. If one 
were using a shoddy costing 16 cents per 
pound, he might hesitate about paying 24 
cents, because it seemed excessive; but that is 
about what the combination would cost if 
made with 20 per cent, of wool at 5 5 cents per 
pound. It would be just as cheap, since the 
wool is simply added first instead of later in 
the picker room, and the advantage of this 
plan is without question. We adopted this 
plan on a line of goods in which we used all 
of our short waste and shoddy, and it gave ex- 
cellent results, where we had been up against 
all kinds of trouble generally accompanying 
such low grade mixtures. If cotton is used in 
connection with wool and shoddy, it is a good 
plan to combine the cotton with the shoddy; 
as the heavy shoddy and the light cotton pro- 
duce a mixture that will keep its place with 



68 KINKS ON WOOL 

the wool in the picker room, and likewise be 
beneficial in the carding and spining. Any 
percentage of long stock may be used with the 
shoddy, even 5 or 10 per cent, being an ad- 
vantage, but 20 per cent, or more will give the 
best results. 

It will be readily seen that the mixture 
gives a loftiness to the stock that will cause it 
to go along with the wool more uniformly in 
picking. When it comes to the feeding to the 
cards, the spike-apron takes hold of the wool 
fibers, and the shoddy is so thoroughly com- 
bined with them that they cannot get away, 
as in the case when the shoddy is only com- 
bined with the wool in the picking. By a little 
careful calculation, the final mixture may con- 
tain the desired percentage of short stock, and 
the results obtained are well worth the 
trouble. A second hand breaker card can be 
procured for a song, and if placed near the 
other carding or picking machinery, the cost 
of running it is small. If it is desired to get 
similar results at less cost, a good selection of 
long stock, such as garnetted worsted, or the 
like, may be used with the shoddy; but care 
must be taken to have a good live stock, not 
too coarse. Coarse or wiry fibers will cause 
twitty yarn by slipping in the spinning. 

Elmo. 



CARDING AND "SPINNING 6Q 

Yarn Numbering 

Please state the relation between the wor- 
sted and cut systems of yarn numbering. 
What would 2-20 cut yarn be equivalent to by 
the worsted system? Broome (358). 

The Simplex Yarn Tables (published by 
Textile World Record, price 50 cents) give an 
explanation of the basis of each system and 
also enables one to find the equivalent of any 
system in the units of the others. No. 1 wor- 
sted = 2-3 cotton; 1.8 6 linen lea or woolen 
cut; .35 run. No. 1 linen lea or woolen cut = 
.535 worsted; .357 cotton; .1875 run. From 
this it is clear that No. 2-20 cut is equal to 
single 10 cut or No. 5.3 5 worsted. 

As all our systems of yarn numbering are 
based upon the fixed weight of one pound, 
their proportions are expressed by the length 
of the skeins used for them. Thus: Linen or 
woolen cut, 3 00 yards; worsted, 5 60 yards; 
cotton, 840 yards; woolen run, 1,600 yards. 



Changing Ring Doffers on Woolen Cards 

We have four sets of 4 8-inch woolen cards 
with two doffers. We are taking off 36 ends 
of roving, 18 ends on each spool and two waste 
ends. We want to take off 54 ends and use 3 
spools. The size of the roving is about 5/8 
run, made from horse blanket stock. What 
changes will be necessary to get the best re- 
sults? Hampshire (967). 



70 KINKS ON WOOL 

In order to put 54 ends on a 48-inch card, 
or 3 spools of 18 ends each, it would be nec- 
essary to put 27 rings and 1 waste ring on 
each doffer. There should be 27 top rings, 
13/16 inches wide, besides 1 wide ring to carry- 
waste end. The bottom doffer should have 27 
rings, 14/16 inches wide, and 1 wide waste 
ring. On the short side of the Apperly feed a 

1 1/8-inch waste ring should be used; on the 
long side a 1 5/16-inch waste ring, as on this 
side the stock is more likely to bunch in. The 
lickerin has a better chance to comb out the 
stock on the short side of the feed. On the 
short side the feed rolls hold the fibers while 
the latter are being combed out by the licker- 
in; on the long side the feed rolls let go 
earlier. For these reasons it is better to use 
a 1 1/8-inch waste ring on the short side of 
the feed and a 1 5/16-inch ring on the long 
side. Most carders use 1 1/2 or 2-inch side 
rings. We have used all sizes from 1 1/4 to 
2-inch, but the best results are obtained from 
the 2-inch outside rings. When more than 48 
ends are taken from the doffers a narrower 
outside ring is used. A good rule to follow is 

27 rings, 3 3/16 inch equal 21 15/16 inches. 
27 rings, 14/16 inch equal 23 10/16 inches. 
2 rings, 1 2/16 and 1 5/16 inch equal 

2 7/16 inches. 
Total, 48 inches. 

One and one-half and 1 9/16-inch outside 



CARDING AND SPINNING 7 I 

rings can be used. This will make both out- 
side rings near the same size and they will 
work fully as well. 

The best way to run the ends is to take 9 
outside ends from each side of top doffer to 
top drum, making 18 in all. The center 9 ends 
pass to the center of the middle drum; the 18 
ends on center of bottom doffer, to bottom 
drum; the other 9 ends on outside of bottom 
doffer, to center drum of spool stand. This 
may look like a Chinese puzzle, but if the 
stock is good it works very well; if the stock 
is poor, the three-spool stand is a nuisance. 
A three-spool stand should never be used on 
heavy work. As "Hampshire's" work is 5/8 
run on the card, 4 8 rings are all that should 
be used. For that size the rings should not be 
less than 7/8 and 1 inch wide. By using nar- 
rower rings the stock is packed tight on the 
ring to get the weight and it is hard for the 
wipe roll to take it from the doffer. This 
often causes twits and bad places in the rov- 
ing, makes the work go bad on the card and 
all through the mill. 

It would be a good plan to change the mule 
to take 24-end spools and use 24 ends on each 
doffer with outside rings. If this is not advis- 
able it might be well to put the card in good 
shape and increase the speed of the doffer. A 
card on 5/8-run work should take off from 
400 to 600 pounds of stock a day. Another 



/■ 



KINKS ON WOOL 



way of increasing production is to increase the 
size of the doffers. An increase of 3 inches in 
the diameter of the doffer would increase the 
production 50 per cent. If doffers 9 inches in 
diameter running- 20 revolutions a minute and 
taking off 300 pounds of stock a day are ex- 
changed for doffers 12 inches in diameter and 
running 20 revolutions a minute, the produc- 
tion would be increased to 450 pounds per 
day, a gain of 50 per cent. The larger the 
doffer the better the work as the cylinder has 
more surface to lay the stock on. Rogers. 

Changing the number of ends from 3 6 to 
5 4 will necessitate the use of narrower rings 
and probably have the effect of crowding the 
cards in getting the heavy roving required for 
5/8-run yarn. On horse blanket stock and 
similar material, the top doffer will often col- 
lect more stock than the bottom doffer, mak- 
ing it necessary to run the former faster. To 
get 54 ends the rings can be arranged as fol- 
lows: 

2 waste rings, 1 1/4 inch. 
27 top rings, 13/16 inch. 
27 bottom rings, 14/16 inch. 

When using 1 1/2-inch waste rings it is ad- 
visable instead of having a cotton or woolen 
web on the Apperly to use a leather band 
with wire set in for that purpose the width of 



CARDING AND SPINNING 73 

the webbing. The card will have to carry 
more stock in supplying the narrow rings. 
The ring doffers must be kept in good condi- 
tion and points kept clear, by having dickeys 
put on the rings or by having wire wipe rolls 
set to the rings just so they will clear the 
points. It is preferable to have these rolls 
covered with a medium wire about 3/16 inch 
long with a knee so that it will not stand up 
straight. It is advisable to have the wire set 
in leather. 

In running the dickeys the surface speed 
should be high enough to keep the points 
clear without having to set hard on the rings. 
If fancy wire is used on a 2-inch dickey with 
a 12-inch doffer running 20 turns, it will be 
necessary to run the dickey about 45 turns. 

Ironside. 

On the top doffer the use of 13/16-inch 
rings would be advisable, making a total 
length 21 15/16 inches. On the bottom doffer 
use 14/16-inch rings, making the total length 
23 10/16 inches. This would leave about 11/4 
inches for each waste end and 45 9/16 inches 
for the 54 regular ends, or 27 ends to each 
doffer. A 3 -spool stand will be required to 
bring the roving on 3 spools of 18 ends each; 
the center spool receiving 9 ends from each 
doffer; this would necessitate an increase of 
stock on the breakers. 



;74 KINKS ON WOOL 

In placing - rings on the doffer the wide ring 
must be put on the top doffer on the wide side 
of the feed. Newport. 



Variation Allowed in Spinning Wool Yarn 

In working low shoddy work, a stock con- 
taining a large percentage of clean and dirty 
card waste, the dirty card waste, however, 
being thoroughly cleaned and dusted before 
used, what variation would it be considered 
fair to allow the carder on his yarns, taking, 
for instance, 165 grains or 1 15/16 runs and 
105 grains or 1 1/16 runs? We would also 
like to have the same question answered in 
regard to yarns ranging from 90 to 105 grains, 
and made of clean, low grade stocks which 
contain either a small percentage of cotton or 
wool as a basis. 

In order that you may be able to judge bet- 
ter and give a more accurate answer we give 
you the following information regarding our 
-equipment: Our picker house is equipped with 
:a Sargent duster and a Fearnaught picker, the 
mixes being run through the picker three 
times in order to insure proper mixing. The 
card room contains six sets of cards, practi- 
cally new clothing on all, with Bramwell feeds 
and Apperly feeds between the first and second 
breakers, the second breaker and finisher 
hitched together, and Barker rubs on finisher. 

Carder (1989). 

For the 16 5 grains, ten grains variation 
wrould be the extreme. For the 105 grains, 
eight grains ought to cover the variation. For 
the clean stock, 9 to 105 grains, four or five 



CARDING AND SPINNING 75 

grains ought to be enough variation. In mak- 
ing this statement I only estimate the varia- 
tion at the card; the mule is not considered. 

Lytton. 

Production and Consumption of Wool 

If you know of any statistics showing the 
number of spindles in the world's wool indus- 
try and the production and consumption of 
wool will you kindly print them? 

Record (2247). 

An interesting estimate of the world's pro- 
duction and consumption of wool appeared in 
a recent issue of Dalgety's Review. The wool 
spindles in all countries were given as follows: 

England spindles 6,684,52b 

Germany 5,084,069 

France 3,078,013 

Austria 850,000 

United States 4,021,098 

Belgium 656,677 

Russia 800,000 

Italy 250,000 

Spain 150,000 

Japan 400,000 

Increase in former coun- 
tries and number of 
spindles in other coun- 
tries 1,025,625 

Total 23,000,008 

merit on the wool consuming capacity of these 

The Review then makes the following com- 
spindles and the actual supply: 



yb KINKS ON WOOL 

In estimating 1,0 25,625 spindles, we take 
into consideration an increase in spindles 
throughout the entire world since 1907. Tak- 
ing these 23,000,000 spindles in the whole 
world, and assuming that each spindle pro- 
duces about 1.32 lbs. per week — 23,000,000 X 
1.32 lbs. = 30,360,000 lbs., and for 52 weeks — 
30,360,000 lbs. X 52 = 1,578,720,000 lbs. 

It must not be forgotten, however, that in 
these 1,578,720,000 lbs. of yarns produced 
there are a large number of carded yarns in 
which cotton, silk, noils and waste enter in a 
certain proportion. Supposing that 489,600,- 
000 lbs. of these yarns are produced with 
wastes and other kinds of material. This 
means that there is an annual production of 
1,089,120,000 lbs. of combed yarns. 

Taking then the production of greasy wool: 

Pounds. 
The Argentine produces about. . 584,000,000 

Australia 1,102,000,000 

Africa 160,000,000 

Asia 216,000,000 

Europe 811,000,000 

North America 339,000,000 

Total 3,212,000,000 

The average yield of thoroughly washed 
wool can be stimated at 40 per cent, of 3,212,- 
000,000 lbs. or 1,284,800,000 lbs. clean scoured 
wool. It seems then that consumption is 



CARDING AND SPINNING JJ 

about equal to production after allowing for 
the weight of the waste in the combing proc- 
ess, viz., noils. 



Size of Wire 

Can you give us information or some sort of 
a table showing the best card-clothing wire 
for fine and coarse stock? Field (927). 

The way the batches come along now in 
most woolen card rooms makes it a hard task 
to name just the right size wire that would be 
best for general use. One batch may be a 
nice, fine all-wool lot; the next may be a mix- 
ture of very coarse wool and shoddy, and the 
next of fine wool and shoddy, or it may be a 
silk mix or a hair mix, etc. The carder hardly 
knows what will go on next. If batches of the 
same quality could follow each other, much 
better and more even roping could be made 
and would save the carded a good deal of 
trouble and much valuable time and waste 
would be saved to the interest of the company. 
When batches keep jumping from one run to 
six runs and vice versa, it is no wonder there 
is so much trouble with uneven roping. 

When the carder has a set of cards on a 
500-pound lot, 5-run warp running just to suit 
him, the lot is nearly run out, and the next 
lot may be 2 1/2-run coarse wool and shoddy 
or some other kind much different from the 



/8 KINKS ON WOOL 

5-run lot. I should recommend the following- 
scale and number of wire for a set of cards 
for general run of work: 

FIRST BREAKER 

Feed rolls, if not steel rings, which are de- 
cidedly the best. 

Feed rolls, top and bottom, No. 18 convex or 
diamond point, straight steel wire. 

Tumbler, No. 33 wire, steel. 

First two workers, No. 3 2, the remainder 
No. 34 steel wire. 

Strippers, No. 3 2, steel wire. 

Cylinder, No. 3 3, the sheets steel wire 

Doffer, No. 3 3, steel wire. 

Fancy, No. 3 0, sheets or filleting, steel wire 

SECOND BREAKER 

Feed rolls, top and bottom for creels, No. 
18, convex or diamond point straight steel 
wire. 

Leader-in, No. 24, diamond point steel wire. 

Tumbler, No. 3 3, steel wire. 

Two workers, No. 34, the remainder No. 3 5. 

Strippers, No. 3 2. 

Cylinder, No. 34, sheets. 

Doffer, No. 34. 

Fancy, No. 3 2, sheets or filleting. 

FINISHER 

Apperly feed rolls, No. 24 bottom, and No. 
26 top, diamond point straight steel wire. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 79 

Leader-in, No. 24, diamond point steel wire. 
Tumbler, No. 3 4. 

First two workers, No. 3 5, the remainder 
No. 3 6. 

Strippers, No. 3 4. 
Cylinder, No. 3 5, sheets. 
Ring doffer, No. 3 5. 
Fancy, No. 3 4, filleting. 

CARD CLOTHING FOR A SET OF CARDS ON 
COARSE STOCK 

If a set or' cards is running permanently on 
coarse wool, or coarse wool and shoddy mixed, 
the numbers of wire should be: 

FIRST BREAKER 
Feed rolls, if not steel rings, No. 18, convex 
wire. 

Tumbler, No. 3 2. 

Two workers, No. 30, the others No. 3 2. 

Strippers, No. 30. 

Cylinder sheets, No. 3 2. 

Doffer, No. 32. 

Fancy, No. 30. 

SECOND BREAKER 
Feed rolls, No. 18, convex or diamond point 
wire, straight tooth. 
Leader-in, No. 24. 
Tumbler, No. 3 2, steel wire. 
Workers, No. 33. 
Strippers. No. 3 0. 



80 KINKS ON WOOL 

Cylinder, No. 3 3, sheets. 

Fancy, No. 3 2, sheets or filleting. 

Doffer, No. 33. 

FINISHER 

Bottom rolls Apperly feed, No. 18, convex 
or diamond point wire, straight tooth. 

Top rolls Apperly feed, No. 18, convex or 
diamond point wire, straight tooth. 

Deader-in, No. 24. 

Tumbler, No. 34. 

Workers. No. 3 4. 

Strippers, No. 32. 

Cylinder, No. 3 4, sheets. 

Ring doffers, No. 3 4. 

Fancy, No. 3 3, filleting. 

Sam Driver. 



Putting" on Card Clothing 

I would like information on putting on card 
clothing as regards the apparatus required and 
the method of doing the work. 

Deary (1042). 

It is necessary that every card room should 
be provided with a suitable frame and drum 
for winding on filleting. It is important that 
it should be wound on with as even a tension 
as possible. The frame should be made 
strong and wide enough so that the bearings 
of whatever is being covered will set firmly 
in the bearings of the frame. Place collars 



CARDING AND SPINNING OT 

on the shafts so that when winding- on fillet- 
ing- they will not vibrate. Bolt on the frame 
a slotted bracket with a long stud and a small 
gear, with crank attached. Place a large gear 
on the shaft of whatever is to be covered, and 
gear into the small gear. By winding this 
way a much steadier motion and more even 
tension can be had than with a crank at- 
tached to the end of the shaft. 

The drum, if for a 4 8 -inch card with doffer 
48 by 30, should be made 54 inches wide and 
31 inches in diameter. The drum must be 
turned off true and smooth so that the backs 
of the card teeth will not get bulged. A stout 
frame must be built for the drum and bolted 
to the floor. 

A piece of belt 1 1/2 inches wide, with small 
clamp attached, can be fastened to one end 
of the drum, another belt can be fastened on 
the floor on the other end and brought over 
the drum for friction. Sonie have the drum 
placed in front of the grinding frame, with a 
suitable bearing to bolt on the frame. When 
putting on filleting it should be wound on the 
drum quite tight. This will press and keep 
the backs of card wire in their proper place. 
The roll must be turned with a steady and 
even motion to keep an even tension. 

The clothing should be wound on as tight as 
it will bear; if not. it will be apt to get loose 



82 KINKS ON WOOL 

and strike the cylinder and cause bad work 
and be a source of trouble all the time. 

D. R. S. 



Speed and Size of Pulleys 

Please give me a simple rule for calculating 
the speed and size of direct connected pullej^s? 

Manitoba (450). 

Suppose two pulleys, A and B, are con- 
nected by a belt. Then: 

Diam. of A X speed of A r= diam. of B X 
speed of B. 

From this it follows that: 

Diam. of A = (diam. of B X speed of B) -r- 
speed A. 

Also that: 

Speed of A = (diam. of B X speed of B) -f 
diam. of A. 

Ex. A 12-inch pulley running 150 r. p. m. 
drives another pulley 225 r. p. m. 

Find the size of the last named pulley. 

(12 X 150) -^ 225 = 8 inches, diam. of 
pulley running 225 r. p. m. 

Ex. A 15-inch pulley running 80 r. p. m. 
drives a 10-inch pulley. Find the speed of the 
last-named pulley. 

(15 X 80) -f 10 = 120 r. p. m. of 10-inch 
pulley. 

The circumference may be used in place of 
the diameter if desired. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 83 

Core Yarn 

Recently we have tried some experiments 
with a yarn composed of a cotton thread with 
a wool covering. These have not been wholly 
successful and if you have any information 
bearing on this work will you let me know 
how it should be done? 

Burlington (2262). 

There is no novelty in the idea of making 
wool yarn with a cotton core. As far back 
as 18 78 two Leeds men patented provision- 
ally a process for "embedding by rolling or 
otherwise an additional twisted thread in an 
unspun condenser sliver, the combined thread 
being wound upon a bobbin without any 
twist and used as a weft in weaving soft and 
strong fabrics." In 19 01 two Halifax (Eng. ) 
men took out a patent for a yarn consisting 
of "a sliver from a condenser rubbed round a 
core of cotton, the combined thread being 
wound on a condenser bobbin and spun in the 
ordinary way." There have also been pat- 
ented schemes for covering a core of twisted 
paper with wool in a similar manner and for 
making cotton core yarn by drawing the cot- 
ton thread diagonally across the rings of the 
ring doffers, in place of running the thread 
and sliver side by side. There have been 
plenty of other attempts made in Yorkshire 
and yarns produced in this manner have been 
seen and tried often. Twenty years ago a 



84 KINKS ON WOOL 

great many woolen men were puzzling over 
the problem of how to do away with the ne- 
cessity for a separate twisting of the cotton 
and the wool, but the twisting method is prac- 
tically universal today. Cotton is very exten- 
sively used as a supporting thread in the 
cheap carded woolens made in the Colne Val- 
ley. It is not used as a core, but as a tie 
thread. The wool sliver is spun on the mule 
cop and the two are brought together upon 
the ring twisting frame. 

Following are the experiences of two emi- 
nently practical men in making core yarn: 
Says A: The two ways I remember were: 
"1st. Cotton spools placed under the con- 
denser, the ends being led through the divider 
with the soft sliver. Thread and sliver were 
rubbed together and run on the bobbins in the 
usual way. 

"2d. The condenser bobbins were taken 
direct to the twisting frame and the soft 
sliver was twisted with the cotton thread. 

"Both methods were failures because a 
woolen thread is no good unless it is drawn 
during spinning." 

Says B: "The drawback to running the cot- 
ton and woolen threads together on the mule 
is that you cannot draw the woolen when the 
cotton passes through the rollers at the same 
time. You do not get as nice or as strong a 
yarn as one that is drawn a little in the spin- 



CARDING AND SPINNING 85. 

ning. Another fault is that there is too much 
space on the mule between the rollers and the 
spindle top, consequently the yarn has a tend- 
ency to show soft places owing to the greater 
thickness and heaviness of the woolen." 

The theoretical purpose of using the cotton 
as a core instead of a companion thread is to 
make the former less conspicuous in the fin- 
ished cloth. I send a sample or two of Colne 
Valley tweed to correct any impression that a 
two-fold cotton and woolen thread necessarily 
proclaims its character upon the surface. It 
will be agreed by anyone that whether judged 
by touch or sight the cotton support is well 
hidden in the softer cloth. 

"Twisting is an extra," to continue my quo- 
tation from A, "but that is done very cheaply 
and the thread is good in every way. You can 
mill the cloth to get a good cover, raise it if 
necessary and use it pretty roughly and still 
have a sound piece of goods. Or you can 
alter your blend and ideas. You can make 
the cotton thread light in color and get fine 
worsted-twist-looking patterns in another 
finish." 

Seeking further experiences of the produc- 
tion of cotton core yarn I turned to the paten- 
tee of a process for wrapping an untwisted 
worsted sliver spirally round a central thread 
of cotton. The work was done on an ordinary 
flyer drawing and twisting frame, permitting 



86 KINKS OX WOOL 

the sliver to be reduced to the desired thin- 
ness. The cotton was led through the nip of 
the front drawing rollers to one side of the 
untwisted sliver and was then drawn diagon- 
ally across the front of the rollers, close to 
the nip and thence down to the spindles. The 
path of the cotton was kept close to the nip to 
avoid twisting the worsted, the intention be- 
hind the whole operation being the production 
of a yarn which should not shrink unequally 
and raise knots and lumps in the fabric under 
the hands of the cloth finisher. The patent 
has been allowed to lapse, but as Mr. Brog- 
den's experience may be useful, I explain that 
the object of the experiment was the produc- 
tion of khaki cotton-faced drills with a wool 
back. The worsted sliver used was fine me- 
rino and the cotton core a good Egyptian. 
The warp of the cloth was Egyptian cotton 
also and without great difficulty a smart cot- 
ton-faced khaki drill fulfilling Government 
tests was produced. The maker was conscious 
of certain defects in the fabric and the Gov- 
ernment experts found these out. The avoid- 
ance of twist in the sliver did not entirely pre- 
vent inequality of shrinkage. Worse still, the 
wool back did not wear well. Where creases 
were formed in wear the sliver was soon 
rubbed off the filling, leaving thin streaks in 
the garment. It is not improbable that carded 
woolen sliver which has only been rubbed on 



CARDING AND SPINNING $7 

a cotton core will also soon be rubbed off and 
the contingency deserves to be reckoned with 
and observed. 

Pushing inquiry further afield, I sought the 
advice of a silk man who in his own time has 
been a bold experimenter. He had heard of a 
process, applied to silk and not necessarily in- 
applicable to wool, in which a silk roving was 
twisted round a cotton thread upon a twisting 
frame. Two rollers were used, one delivering 
silk, one cotton, the silk coming the faster. 
The two were passed to a spindle having a 
double flyer and set at such an angle that only 
the roving came in contact with the cotton at 
the point at which the bobbin was practically 
reached. He had examined also a collection 
of samples in which thrown silk had been 
twisted round a cotton core to make a sort of 
"rolled-gold" silk poplin and in which also 
thrown silk was twisted around flexible wire 
to make onde and spiral effects. It is clear 
that the production of core yarn has attracted 
notice in widely different directions. To name 
one other, one might refer casually to the dif- 
ferent means taken for producing ropes with 
cores of steel or strong fibrous materials. 

James Strand. 



Broken Drawing on Breakers 

Can you give me a reason for broken draw 
ing on the breakers? Foss (959). 



88 KINKS ON WOOL 

There are many causes for the breaking of 
drawings. The doffer may be running too 
fast, in which case a reduction of speed would 
be to the advantage of the work and would 
also tend to increase the strength of the draw- 
ing. The doffer comb may have been striking 
and been worn rough or it may need cleaning. 
Drawing may also break by being stripped too 
far below the center of the doffer. This may 
be remedied by raising the stroke of the comb. 

Sometimes the drawing breaks down from 
too great a draft on the side drawing, in which 
case the end drawing will break as it leaves 
the doffer on the farthest end from the draw- 
ing rolls. Remedy: reduce the speed of the 
rolls. If the doffer gets dull, rough or out of 
true, the drawing will break down. 

There are various ways of supporting the 
drawing as it passes to the rolls. On low stock 
it is a good idea to place a narrow apron 
under the comb, the same as for the Kershaw 
and Scotch feeds, and driven from the side 
drawing shaft. 

Sometimes the short and long stock is not 
blended and picked right; this often causes 
a breaking of the drawing. Too heavy a feed 
making the drawing heavier at times than at 
others may be the cause. The comb may bfe 
too high or too low, too fast or too slow. Have 
good stripper belts and keep them tight and 
clean. When the side drawing breaks down 



CARDING AND SPINNING 89 

often extra work and waste results. Too much 
waste in the feed is another cause; also the 
stock getting- too low or too high. If the draw- 
ing falls down raise the comb; if it pulls too 
tight, lower the comb. The center of the 
stroke of the comb should be a little above 
the center of the doffer. On long stock it is 
sometimes necessary to have a longer down- 
stroke and on short stock a longer up-stroke. 
Set the comb as close to the doffer as it can 
be and not strike, and keep the comb teeth 
free from grease. 

All kinds of supports are used to keep the 
drawing from falling down, such as cone- 
shaped cylinders placed under the comb, wire 
and broomstick supports from the floor to 
comb, and many other contrivances. If the 
stock is really too low and short to make good 
drawing it is best to bring the first and second 
breakers together and place a short endless 
slat apron between after the fashion of the 
Blamire feed. Sam Driver. 



Blending and Oiling 

Can you give me the method of blending 
and oiling three lots of wool; viz.. No. 1 blend; 
500 lbs. of all-wool Saxony, Australian or No. 
1 Ohio fleece, spun to 10 run; No. 2 blend, 500 
lbs. of coarse wool; No. 3 blend, Oxford Mix, 
500 lbs., composed of 125 lbs. black wool, 125 
lbs. white pulled wool, 250 lbs. black shoddy? 

Deering (1068). 



-90 KINKS ON WOOL 

Carders as well as superintendents have a 
tendency to overlook the importance and value 
in this department of having their batches 
"blended and oiled as they should be. Too 
much emphasis cannot be laid on the import- 
ance of having the batches properly blended 
and oiled to make good carding and spinning. 
Carders should watch with great interest this 
part of the operation for their own benefit, as 
well as for the company's. 

FINE WOOL 

No. 1 blend: 500 lbs. all-wool Saxony. Aus- 
tralian or No. 1 Ohio fleece, spun 10 run. We 
will first run it through the wool duster and 
then through the burr picker. Lay down in 
five layers. To each layer spread on 8 qts. of 
oil (olive oil would be best). Beat down each 
layer with a pole. W r hen through blending, 
run through the picker twice, feeding light 
and mixing well in gauze room. It is now 
ready to sheet up. Let it lie four days in the 
sheets before going to the cards. When ready 
for the cards run through picker once. Eight 
quarts of oil to 100 lbs. No water. 

COARSE WOOL 

No. 2 blend: 500 lbs. of coarse wool run 
through duster and burr picker and laid down 
in five layers. To each layer spread on 4 qts. 
of oil and 10 qts. of water. Pole each layer. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 91 

Run through picker twice. Four quarts of oil, 
10 qts. of water to 100 lbs. 

No. 3 blend: Oxford mix; 500 lbs. batch 
wool and shoddy, 125 lbs. black wool, 125 lbs. 
white pulled wool, 250 lbs. black shoddy. 
Fifteen quarts of oil, 20 qts. water. This is 
allowing- 6 qts. of oil to 100 lbs. of wool and 
8 qts. of water to 100 lbs. of wool; nothing for 
shoddy. If desirable, more oil and water can 
be added. Mix black and white wool together 
and run through wool duster and burr picker. 
Run the shoddy through mixing picker. Make 
five layers of wool and five layers of shoddy. 
First layer of wool put on 3 qts. of oil and 4 
qts. of water. Beat well with pole. Then put 
on layer of shoddy; beat with pole. Next, a 
layer of wool and then a layer of shoddy alter- 
nately until finished. In feeding, take top to 
bottom of pile. Feed on light and run through 
the picker three times, mixing well every time 

You will notice that I do not put any oil or 
water on the shoddy, but put it on the wool. 
I will give my reasons for doing so: First, the 
shoddy has already received enough oil dur- 
ing the process of manufacturing. Second, it 
will not fill and gum the cylinder and doffer 
wire with flocks and fine dust. Third, the 
cards will run longer without stripping. 
Fourth, it makes more even, smoother and 
stronger yarn, and it cards and spins better. 

The same rule for the blending and oiling 



92 KINKS ON WOOL 

of this batch can be applied to any percent- 
age of wool and shoddy. To those using emul- 
sions, the same percentage of oil and water 
can be used and batches laid down the same 
way, but keep the emulsions from getting on 
the shoddy and cotton as much as possible. 

Sam Driver. 



Preparing White Wool for Mixtures 

I would like information on the method of 
preparing white wool for mixtures. 

W. W. (986). 

When white wool is mixed with black in the 
raw state the mixture has a better appearance 
if the white retains a part of its natural yellow 
shade. Bleached white makes the mixture 
look harsh when mixed with black, on account 
of the sharp contrast. Moreover bleaching is 
expensive. Various methods have been intro- 
duced to displace bleaching by removing a 
portion of the yellow shade of the fiber, 
among them being the following: 

1. For 100 pounds of wool, 1 1/2 pounds 
of oxalic acid and 1 pound of sulphuric acid 
66 Be., are dissolved separately, then added to- 
2,000 pounds of water at 120° F. When start- 
ing the bath it is advisable to add double the 
quantities named. The wool is then entered 
and at the end of 3 5 or 40 minutes the yellow 
shade will be largely removed. The wool is 
then taken out and rinsed several times. 



CARDING AND SPINNING 93 

2. For 100 pounds of wool 1 1/4 pounds of 
•chloride of tin and 1 pound of hydrochloric 
.acid are dissolved in water and then added to 
the bath, which is heated to 165° P. and 1/4 
to 4/10 of a pound of sulphate of indigo paste 
added. The dyer must regulate the amount of 
indigo to suit the requirements of each case. 
The wool is worked in this bath for one hour. 

3. For 100 pounds of wool 1/4 to 4/10 of 
a pound of Prussian blue is dissolved with 
four times the quantity of oxalic acid, forming 
a concentrated solution. This is added to the 
bath with 13 to 14 pounds of sulphate of soda. 
The wool is worked from three-quarters to 
one hour at 150° F. 

4. For 100 pounds of wool 1/4 to 1/2 an 
ounce of Formyl Violet S 4 B, 1/2 pound of 
acetic acid (increased if the water contains 
lime) and 4 pounds of sulphate of soda are 
dissolved in the bath in which the wool is 
worked at 160° F. 

5. This is process 4 with 1 to 1 1/2 ounces 
of cyanole extra added to the bath. 

6. The wool is worked in a bath of bisul- 
phite of soda at 2° Be. at a temperature of 
100° F., to which is added 1/3 of an ounce of 
methylene blue. The wool is worked for one 
hour, then taken out and rinsed. Any of the 
above methods will leave the wool in good 
condition for mixes, and all have the advan- 
tage of simplicity. P. Hoffman. 



94 KINKS ON WOOL 

Density of Baled Wool 

What is the density of Bagdad wool as im- 
ported in bales? How does its weight com- 
pare with that of water? 

Douglass (2081). 

A cubic foot of water weighs 1,000 ounces 
or 62 1/2 pounds. A bale of Bagdad wool re- 
cently imported measured 51 inches long, 17 
inches wide and 17 inches thick; cubic con- 
tents, 14,739 cubic inches. The gross weight 
was 360 pounds, equal to 675 ounces, or 42 
pounds per cubic foot. The weight of this 
bale was 3 2 1/2 per cent, less than that of 
water. 



Core Yarn 

In looking over the articles on core yarn 
contained in the March and April issues it 
occurred to me that your readers would be 
interested in additional particulars regarding 
this process. The cotton core is first wound 
on the regular roping spools and fastened on 
a frame work at the back of the card just 
above the rub rolls. A guide is placed near 
the doffing cylinder with guide eyes set so as to 
deliver the core in center of the doffer rings. 
The core is started between the wipe roll and 
doffer, carried back to roping spool, and de- 
livered in the center of the doffer rings. 

When going through the rub rolls the cov- 
ering is rolled around the core in such a man- 



CARDING AND SPINNING 95 

ner that the core is almost completely hidden. 
Two of these threads are then twisted to- 
gether. An improved method consists in de- 
livering two ends to the doffing rings as near 
the center at possible and about 3/16 to 1/4 
inch apart. When rubbed together the 
threads of the core are embedded so well in 
the fibers that when twisted either on a mule 
or twister the covering will not strip. This 
makes the thread almost if not altogether like 
all wool. This process has eliminated the 
trouble of stripping which was the result of 
yarn made with a single core. 

There is another process called the "double 
covered" which is made by taking only one 
spool from the card instead of two. The yarn 
coming from the top condenser is taken 
through and under, and again delivered to the 
bottom roll, thereby getting a second covering. 
This latter process is the best for heavy stocks, 
as the covering is more even than that made 
by the single covered process. I have seen 
core yarn made and used for both warp and! 
filing in woven goods and which did not strip 
when used as warp. 

The finishing or twisting of the yarn from 
the card is best done on a twister, but can 
also be done on a mule. It is almost neces- 
sary to use a doubling twist scroll, as the or- 
dinary scroll gives too much twist for ordi- 
nary knitting yarn. GarhwaL 



<)6 KINKS ON WOOL 

Winding-TJnder on Woolen Mules 

In regard to winding-under on woolen 
mules, I would like to state a few practical 
points worked out in my experience in the 
mule room. A high spot in the tracks will 
cause winding under. When the mule backs 
off, the faller locks and rests on a stud con- 
nected with the builder-arm, which has a roll 
connected on the end that runs on the builder 
rail. If all the parts are in perfect order so 
that there is no lost motion, the faller can 
wind only to a given point up or down. If the 
backing off chain is too long, allowing the 
mule to unwind too much yarn when backing 
off, the faller will dip and cause the yarn to 
wind under. The faller fingers may be out of 
line. Some of them may be too low. There 
may be a high place in the track so that the 
carriage is forced up a little, causing the faller 
to dip just enough to wind under, especially if 
there is a large shoulder or seat on the bottom 
of the bobbin. If there is a low place in the 
track it will cause a more open wind on the 
bobbin and a longer build. The front builder 
shoe may not be set right, the builder rail 
dwelling too long on top of the shoe before 
starting down the incline of the shoe or 
shaper, as it is sometimes called. 

Woolen Spinner 



I N E> KX 



PAGE 

Apperly Feed, Fine Ends on 49 

Balancing Solutions 24 

Belgium System of Wool Carding 47 

Bleached Wool for Mixtures 92 

Blending and Oiling 89 

Bobbins and Cops, Soft Noses on 34,36 

Broken Drawing on Breakers 87 

Burr Picking and Carbonizing 13 

Calculating Pulleys and Speeds 82 

Calculating Weight of Sliver 17 

Carbonizing 13, 29, 46 

Card Clothing, Putting on 80 

Card Clothing Wire for Fine and Coarse Stock 77 

Card for Sample Mixing 11 

Carding Shoddy 9 

Causes of Uneven Roping 18, 30 

Changing Ring Doffers 69 

Coarse Stock, Changing to 23 

Core Yarn 83, 94 

Cotton Mixes 17 

Cylinder, Speed of 9 

Density of Baled Wool 94 

Difficulty with Rub Rolls on Coarse Wool 27 

Draft at the Mule 21 

Dressing for Rub Aprons 28 

Drying after Carbonizing 14 

Dyeing and Carbonizing in One Operation 29 

Emery Cloth on Traverse Grinder 52 

Equipment and Operation of Carbonizing Plant 13 

Equivalent Numbers of Yarn 69 

Even and Uneven Roving 18 

Fancy, Reclothing 23 

Feed Rolls 32 

jp ioers, Testing 58 

Fine Ends of Feed 49 

Fleeced Shoddy 66 

Grinding, Settings and Care of Cards 52 

Horse Power of a Waterfall 39 

How to Mix Wool and Shoddy 64 

How Twits are Made 53 

Lumps in Yarn 19 

Matching Mixtures 10 

Mixing Cotton, Wool and Shoddy 67 



9 8 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Mixing- Wool and Shoddy 64 

Mules, Winding Under on 55 

Neppy Yarn in Cotton Mixes 17 

Number of Wool Spindles in World 75 

Numbering Yarn 69 

Nubs Forming on Card 11 

Nub Yarns 26, 59 

Oiling and Blending 89 

Oiling Different Kinds of Stock 33 

Operatives Needed for Ten-Set Mill 42 

Picker, Setting 46 

Preparing White Wool for Mixtures 92 

Production and Consumption of Wool 75 

Production of Woolen Card 41,71 

Putting on Card Clothing 80 

Quadrant, Setting 35, 36 

Qualitative Tests for Fibers 58 

Random Roping 64 

Ring Doffers, Changing 69 

Rowy Goods 66 

Rub Rolls, Setting and Care of 27 

Setting Cards for Nubs 26, 59, 63 

Setting Mixing Picker 46 

Setting Mule 34. 36, 56 

Setting Workers and Strippers 50 

Shoddy 9, 64 

Size of Wire 77 

Sliver, Weight of 17 

Soap and Oil Solution 24 

Soft Noses on Bobbins and Cops 34. 36 

Speed and Size of Pulleys 82 

Ten-Set Mill. Number of Hands Needed 42 

Testing for Soap or Alkali in Waste Liquor — 38 
Testing Grease Wool to Determine Shrinkage . . 56 

Trouble in Carding Shoddy ". . . . 9 

Twist in Lumpy Yarn 20 

Twisted Rolls in Carding 11 

Twits in Carding and Spinning 53 

Uneven Roving 18. 30 

Variation Allowed in Spinning Wool Yarn 74 

Vigogne Yarn 22 

Waterfall. Flow and Power 39 

White Wool for Mixtures 92 

Winding Under on Mules 55,96 

Wire for Cards 54 

Wire. Size of 77 

Wool. Density of Baled 94 

Wool Dryer 15 

Wool Yarn with Cotton Core 83 

Workers and Strippers, Setting 50 

Yarn Numbering 69 



McBride 
System of Carding 

Rotary 

Cloth Finishing 

Press 



I Manufactured by 

Woonsocket 
Machine and Press Go, 

Woonsocket, R. I. 




1880 



Mills 



1912 



have 
been 
used on 
all 
grades 
and 
kinds of 
woolen 
goods 
for 
thirty 
two 
years 

when first 



that adopted them 
introduced are using them now — con- 
clusive proof of unusual merit. 

Let us send a represen- 
tative to discuss with you 
the grade of BRETON 

OIL FOR WOOL best 
suited to your conditions. 

BORNE, SCRYMSER COMPANY 
80 South Street, New York 

Boston Fall River Philadelphia 

Works, Clareraont, N. J. 



Rome Soap Mfg. Co. 



ROME, N. Y. 




Olive Oils 

Red Oils, Wool Oils 

Wool Scouring Soaps 

Am. Potashes and 

Specialties 



Corns & i* Machine Co. 

Worcester, Mass. 

Builders of 

Automatic Wool Dusters 
Parkhurst Burr Pickers 
Goddard Burr Pickers 
Fearnaught Mixing Pickers 
Atlas Wool Mixing Pickers 
Atlas Picker Feeders 
Atlas Hair Pickers 
Shoddy or Rag Pickers 
Steel Ring and Wire Wound 
Burr Cylinders and Feed 
Rolls for Wool Cards 
Metallic Breasts 



Cloth Finishing Machinery for Woolen, Worsted, 
Cotton Goods, Carpets, Plushes, Velvets, Etc. 



Successors to Atlas Mfg. Co. and 
Atlas Foundry and Machine Co., N.J. 




r 



*\ 



Leading woolen mills have successfully 
used the Sargent Burr picker for many 
years. The Sargent Multiplex Burr 
Picker and Feed is unsurpassed for the 
removal of vegetable fibres, and for 
preparing wool for the Mixing Picker 
and Cards. This machine has two 
burr exits from which burrs are entirely 
ejected from the machine. 

Every carder should have a 
catalogue 

C. G. Sargent's Sons Corporation 
Graniteville, Mass. 



JAN 2 1913 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

015 870 931 4 • 




